Changes in disease characteristics of primary biliary cholangitis: An observational retrospective study from 1982 to 2016

Aim Disease characteristics of primary biliary cholangitis have changed recently. However, detailed studies on the subject have been limited. Therefore, we aimed to clarify disease characteristics of patients with recent primary biliary cholangitis using the cohort from Niigata University and 21 affiliated hospitals. Methods Overall, 508 patients were enrolled in this study from 1982 to 2016, divided into three cohorts according to their year of diagnosis: ≤1999, 2000–2009 and ≥2010. We compared differences in clinical characteristics, response to ursodeoxycholic acid and prognosis. Results The male‐to‐female ratio increased incrementally from 1:16.4 (≤1999) to 1:3.8 (≥2010) (P