DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband is 45 and has lived with irritable bowel syndrome for many years. He was recently diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis. Are these two conditions related? We were told a liver transplant was likely in the future. Do all people require a transplant? Are other treatments available to manage this liver disease?
ANSWER: Primary sclerosing cholangitis is not associated with irritable bowel syndrome, but it can be related to another condition broadly termed inflammatory bowel disease, or more specifically ulcerative colitis. Your husband should be tested for ulcerative colitis if this testing has not already occurred.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis is a rare disease that affects the ducts that carry the digestive liquid bile from your liver to your small intestine. In people who have primary sclerosing cholangitis, inflammation causes scars within the bile ducts. The scars make the ducts hard and narrow. Over time, this can cause serious liver damage.
