Autoimmune liver disease and the Canadian First Nations Aboriginal Communities of British Columbia’s Pacific Northwest

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a well-known but uncommon chronic liver disease that is presumed to be of autoimmune etiology. Recently, investigations in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada situated along the Pacific North-West of North America, have suggested that PBC is not a rare dise...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:World Journal of Gastroenterology
Main Authors: Yoshida, Eric M, Riley, Mark, Arbour, Laura T
Format: Text
Language:English
Published: Baishideng Publishing Group Co., Limited 2006
Subjects:
Editorial
British Columbia
Canada
Pacific
First Nations
Alaska
Online Access:http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4087452
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16773676
https://doi.org/10.3748/wjg.v12.i23.3625
Description
Summary:Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is a well-known but uncommon chronic liver disease that is presumed to be of autoimmune etiology. Recently, investigations in British Columbia (BC), a province of Canada situated along the Pacific North-West of North America, have suggested that PBC is not a rare disease amongst BC’s Aboriginal (i.e. First Nations) communities. Geographically, BC is adjacent to South East Alaska, an American state that has also reported an increased prevalence of PBC amongst its Aboriginal communities. In this article, the medical evidence supporting a hypothesis of increased risk of PBC amongst BC’s First Nations communities is reviewed. Evidence suggesting that autoimmune hepatitis is also more likely amongst BC’s First Nations communities is also presented.

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