No pharmacologic treatment has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for<unk> . Some experts recommend a trial of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA), a bile acid occurring naturally in small quantities in humans, as it has been shown to lower elevated liver enzyme numbers in patients with<unk>  and has proven effective in other cholestatic liver diseases. However, UDCA has yet to be shown to clearly lead to improved liver histology and survival. Guidelines from the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases and the American College of Gastroenterology do not support the use of UDCA but guidelines from the European Association for the Study of the Liver do endorse the use of moderate doses (13-15 milligrams per kilogram) of UDCA for<unk> . Supportive treatment for<unk>  symptoms is the cornerstone of management. These therapies are aimed at relieving symptoms such as itching with antipruritics (e.g. bile acid sequestrants such as cholestyramine); antibiotics to treat episodes of ascending<unk> ; and vitamin supplements, as people with<unk>  are often deficient in fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, and K). ERCP and specialized techniques may also be needed to help distinguish between a benign<unk>  stricture and a bile-duct cancer (cholangiocarcinoma). Liver transplantation is the only proven long-term treatment of<unk> . Indications for transplantation include recurrent bacterial ascending<unk> , decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, hilar cholangiocarcinoma, and complications of portal hypertension. Not all patients are candidates for liver transplantation, and some experience disease recurrence afterward. The reasons why some patients develop recurrent<unk>  remains largely obscure, but surprisingly, those without recurrence of disease (hence protected from recurrence) are characterized by an increased presence of the potentially pathogenic Shigella species.
Primary sclerosing cholangitis
Autoimmune hepatitis
Secondary sclerosing cholangitis
Fatty liver disease
Primary biliary cholangitis
Alcoholic hepatitis
Ischemic hepatitis
Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis