Lack of association between appendectomy and primary biliary cirrhosis.

OBJECTIVE

In view of the possible implication of various environmental factors in the pathogenesis of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC), the role of appendectomy in patients with PBC and other chronic liver diseases from Central Greece was investigated.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The medical files of 68 patients with PBC and gender- and age-matched controls with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection (n=65) and chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection (n=67) were reviewed for the history and time of appendectomy.

RESULTS

Nineteen of 68 (27.9%) PBC patients, 32 of 65 (49.2%) patients with chronic HCV infection and 22 of 67 (32.8%) patients with chronic HBV infection had a history of appendectomy. There was a significant higher frequency of appendectomy in patients with chronic hepatitis C (p = 0.012, chi(2) test) compared to patients with PBC. There were no significant differences in the clinical and histological characteristics of PBC patients with or without a history of appendectomy.

CONCLUSION

In this case-control study we were unable to provide evidence of an association between primary biliary cirrhosis and the occurrence of appendectomy.