Primary Biliary Cirrhosis

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Doctors Panel

Current PBCers Doctors Panel

We wish to thank all the members on our Doctors Panel, for giving us their time

 

answering PBCers questions. We greatly appreciate all they do for us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nancy Bach, MD  

         Mount Sinai Hospital, NY 

 

Alfred Baker, MD  

         Northwestern Memorial Hospital, IL

 

Nathan M. Bass, MD  

         University of California, San Francisco

 

David Bernstein, MD   

         North Shore University Hospital, NY

 

Donald Bloch, MD  

         Massachusetts General Hospital, MA

 

Henry C. Bodenheimer, Jr. MD  

         Beth Israel Medical Center, NY

 

Eric Gershwin, MD  

         University of CA - Davis

        

Nancy Bach, MD   (Mount Sinai Hospital, NY) Alfred Baker, MD   (Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Chicago) Nathan M. Bass, MD   (University of California at San Francisco) David Bernstein, MD   (North Shore University Hospital, Long Island) Donald Block, MD   (Massachusetts General Hospital) Henry C. Bodenheimer, Jr. MD   (Beth Israel Medical Center) Kapil Chopra M.D., DM, FACP (University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine) Eric Gershwin, MD   (University of CA - Davis)

Kris V. Kowdley, MD   

         Benaroya Research Institute

 

Cynthia Levy, MD

         University of Miami, FL      

 

Keith Lindor, MD  

         Mayo Clinic Rochester

 

Andrew Mason, MD  

         University of Alberta, Canada

 

James Neuberger, DM, FRCP  

         Queen Elizabeth Hospital, UK

 

Melissa Palmer, MD  

         Private Practice Long Island, NY

 

Howard Worman, MD  

Worman’s Lab, Columbia University, NY

 1999 to 2008 Questions & Answers

 

AMA & ANA

 

Bone Disease & Joint Pains

 

Diagnostic Tests

 

Diet & Exercise

 

Fatigue

 

Hereditary

 

Itching

 

Liver Pain

 

Miscellaneous

 

Over The Counter Medications & Vitamins

 

Prescribed Medications

 

Sjogrens & Dry Mouth/Eyes

 

Stages of PBC

 

Symptoms

 

Urso Treatments

 

Waiting List

Question

 

Is PBC considered a terminal illness?

 

David Berstein, MD answers this question:

 

No, a terminal illness is generally considered a disease which leads to a rapid and sometimes painful death. There is no surviving a terminal illness.

 

Terminal illness generally refers to cancers. PBC is a very slowly progressive disease which may not lead to death. In that regard and only that regard, PBC is no different from heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes, hypertension.

 

Most people with PBC live to a ripe old age and may not be adversely affected by the disorder. Therefore, PBC does not fit any of the criteria of a terminal illness.

 

I would not include this term in any description of PBC. PBC patients have hope for improved therapies and long term survival.

 

Patients with a terminal illness have lost all hope of cure or survival.

 

By the way, cirrhosis itself is also not a terminal disease. Many people with cirrhosis will live a long term and not be affected by there disease.

 

We as people need hope for without hope we are already dead.