DOI: https://doi.org/10.36347/sasjm.2026.v12i03.011

Pages: 209-212

Background: Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune cholangiopathy whose course is driven by the degree of fibrosis and the response to ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) therapy. Liver elastography by FibroScan and specific prognostic scores (GLOBE, UK-PBC) are key tools for risk stratification. Patients and methods: We conducted a retrospective descriptive and analytical study including 40 patients with PBC followed in the EFD-HGE department of Ibn Sina University Hospital in Rabat between April 2010 and March 2026. Most patients received UDCA therapy and underwent at least one liver stiffness measurement using FibroScan. Clinical, biochemical, imaging, histological, and elastographic data were collected. Biochemical response at 12 months was assessed according to Paris II criteria, and GLOBE and UK-PBC scores were calculated in patients with sufficient follow-up. Results: The mean age at diagnosis was 55 years (range 24–86), with a marked female predominance (87.5 percent). Among the 25 patients assessed by FibroScan, the distribution of fibrosis stages was: F0–F1 40 percent, F2 8 percent, F3 4 percent, and F4 48 percent, corresponding to 12 patients with cirrhosis. A liver biopsy was performed in 26 patients (65 percent) and showed Ludwig stage IV (cirrhosis) in 6 cases (23.07 percent). Biochemical response to UDCA at 12 months, evaluated in 24 patients, was complete in 45.8 percent, partial in 33.3 percent, and absent in 20.8 percent. GLOBE and UK-PBC scores demonstrated a clearly better transplant-free survival in good responders compared with non-responders, with a particularly high cumulative risk of death or liver transplantation in the latter group. Conclusion: In this Moroccan PBC cohort, a substantial proportion of patients were managed at an advanced stage of fibrosis. Combining liver elastography by FibroScan, early assessment of UDCA response, and GLOBE/UK-PBC scores allows refined prognostic stratification and may help optimize follow-up a