start-ver=1.4 cd-journal=joma no-vol=44 cd-vols= no-issue=9 article-no= start-page=1000 end-page=1006 dt-received= dt-revised= dt-accepted= dt-pub-year=2009 dt-pub=200909 dt-online= en-article= kn-article= en-subject= kn-subject= en-title= kn-title=Mortality rate of patients with asymptomatic primary biliary cirrhosis diagnosed at age 55 years or older is similar to that of the general population en-subtitle= kn-subtitle= en-abstract= kn-abstract=Recent routine testing for liver function and anti-mitochondrial antibodies has increased the number of newly diagnosed patients with primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC). This study investigated the prognosis of asymptomatic PBC patients, focusing on age difference, to clarify its effect on the prognosis of PBC patients. The study was a systematic cohort analysis of 308 consecutive patients diagnosed with asymptomatic PBC. We compared prognosis between the elderly (55 years or older at the time of diagnosis) and the young patients (< 55 years). The mortality rate of the patients was also compared with that of an age- and gender-matched general population. The elderly patients showed a higher aspartate aminotransferase-to-platelet ratio, and lower alanine aminotransferase level than the young patients (P < 0.01 and P = 0.03, respectively). The two groups showed similar values for alkaline phosphatase and immunoglobulin M. Death in the young patients was more likely to be due to liver failure (71%), while the elderly were likely to die from other causes before the occurrence of liver failure (88%; P < 0.01), especially from malignancies (35%). The mortality rate of the elderly patients was not different from that of the age- and gender-matched general population (standardized mortality ratio, 1.1; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.7), although this rate was significantly higher than that of the young patients (P = 0.044). PBC often presents as more advanced disease in elderly patients than in the young. However, the mortality rate of the elderly patients is not different from that of an age- and gender-matched general population. en-copyright= kn-copyright= en-aut-name=KubotaJunichi en-aut-sei=Kubota en-aut-mei=Junichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=1 ORCID= en-aut-name=IkedaFusao en-aut-sei=Ikeda en-aut-mei=Fusao kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=2 ORCID= en-aut-name=TeradaRyo en-aut-sei=Terada en-aut-mei=Ryo kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=3 ORCID= en-aut-name=KobashiHaruhiko en-aut-sei=Kobashi en-aut-mei=Haruhiko kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=4 ORCID= en-aut-name=FujiokaShin-ichi en-aut-sei=Fujioka en-aut-mei=Shin-ichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=5 ORCID= en-aut-name=OkamotoRyoichi en-aut-sei=Okamoto en-aut-mei=Ryoichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=6 ORCID= en-aut-name=BabaShinsuke en-aut-sei=Baba en-aut-mei=Shinsuke kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=7 ORCID= en-aut-name=MorimotoYouichi en-aut-sei=Morimoto en-aut-mei=Youichi kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=8 ORCID= en-aut-name=AndoMasaharu en-aut-sei=Ando en-aut-mei=Masaharu kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=9 ORCID= en-aut-name=MakinoYasuhiro en-aut-sei=Makino en-aut-mei=Yasuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=10 ORCID= en-aut-name=TaniguchiHideaki en-aut-sei=Taniguchi en-aut-mei=Hideaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=11 ORCID= en-aut-name=YasunakaTetsuya en-aut-sei=Yasunaka en-aut-mei=Tetsuya kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=12 ORCID= en-aut-name=MiyakeYasuhiro en-aut-sei=Miyake en-aut-mei=Yasuhiro kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=13 ORCID= en-aut-name=IwasakiYoshiaki en-aut-sei=Iwasaki en-aut-mei=Yoshiaki kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=14 ORCID= en-aut-name=YamamotoKazuhide en-aut-sei=Yamamoto en-aut-mei=Kazuhide kn-aut-name= kn-aut-sei= kn-aut-mei= aut-affil-num=15 ORCID= affil-num=1 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=2 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=3 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=4 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=5 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Saiseikai Gen Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=6 en-affil= kn-affil=Hiroshima City Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=7 en-affil= kn-affil=Kagawa Prefectural Cent Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=8 en-affil= kn-affil=Fukuyama City Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=9 en-affil= kn-affil=Mitoyo Gen Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=10 en-affil= kn-affil=Natl Hosp Org Iwakuni Clin Ctr, Dept Gastroenterol affil-num=11 en-affil= kn-affil=Sumitomo Besshi Hosp, Dept Internal Med affil-num=12 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=13 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=14 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol affil-num=15 en-affil= kn-affil=Okayama Univ, Grad Sch Med Dent & Pharmaceut Sci, Dept Gastroenterol & Hepatol en-keyword=Primary biliary cirrhosis kn-keyword=Primary biliary cirrhosis en-keyword=Age difference kn-keyword=Age difference en-keyword=Mortality rate kn-keyword=Mortality rate END