ArticleBMJ open gastroenterology2024
Pruritus in primary biliary cholangitis is under-recorded in patient medical records.
Article in BMJ open gastroenterology, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 12 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
12 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- Symptom burden and treatment patterns in primary biliary cholangitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Hepatology communications · 2026Pooled it
- Second-Line Treatment for Patients With Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Systematic Review With Network Meta-Analysis.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2025Pooled it
- Unravelling the Itch: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Pruritus Patterns in the PicnicHealth Primary Biliary Cholangitis Registry.Liver international : official journal of the International Association for the Study of the Liver · 2026Article
- Real-world treatment patterns and clinical outcomes of patients with primary biliary cholangitis in the United States.Journal of comparative effectiveness research · 2026Article
- Austrian Society of Gastroenterology and Hepatology (ÖGGH) consensus on primary biliary cholangitis.Wiener klinische Wochenschrift · 2026Article
- Meaningful Improvement Thresholds for Pruritus and Sleep Disturbance in PBC Using the Worst Itch and Sleep Interference Numerical Rating Scales.Advances in therapy · 2026Article
- New therapies for primary biliary cholangitis.Hepatology international · 2026Review
- Pruritus and health-related quality of life in chronic liver disease: a longitudinal, survey-based cohort study.BMJ open gastroenterology · 2025Article
- Optimizing clinic consultations in primary biliary cholangitis: International consensus recommendations.Hepatology communications · 2025Article
- Psychometric validation of the Worst Itch Numerical Rating Scale (WI-NRS) and other patient-reported outcome measures for assessing severity and impact of pruritus in patients with primary biliary cholangitis.Orphanet journal of rare diseases · 2025Article
- Pruritus in Chronic Cholestatic Liver Diseases, Especially in Primary Biliary Cholangitis: A Narrative Review.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Review
- Consensus statements of the Hellenic Autoimmune Liver Diseases Study Group on the diagnosis and current management of primary biliary cholangitis.Annals of gastroenterologyArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors at 3 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveCholestatic pruritus in primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) reduces patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Despite this, existing research suggests that pruritus is under-recorded in patients' health records. This study assessed the extent to which pruritus was recorded in medical records of patients with PBC as compared with patient-reported pruritus, and whether patients reporting mild itch were less likely to have pruritus recorded. We also evaluated clinico-demographic characteristics and HRQoL of patients with medical record-documented and patient-reported pruritus.
designThis cross-sectional study used clinical information abstracted from medical records, together with patient-reported (PBC-40) data from patients with PBC in the USA enrolled in the PicnicHealth cohort. Medical record-documented pruritus was classified as 'recent' (at, or within 12 months prior to, enrolment) or 'ever' (at, or any point prior to, enrolment). Patient-reported pruritus (4-week recall) was assessed using the first PBC-40 questionnaire completed on/after enrolment; pruritus severity was classified by itch domain score (any severity: ≥1; clinically significant itch: ≥7). Patient clinico-demographic characteristics and PBC-40 domain scores were described in patients with medical record-documented and patient-reported pruritus; overlap between groups was evaluated. Descriptive statistics were reported.
resultsPruritus of any severity was self-reported by 200/225 (88.9%) patients enrolled; however, only 88/225 (39.1%) had recent medical record-documented pruritus. Clinically significant pruritus was self-reported by 120/225 (53.3%) patients; of these, 64/120 (53.3%) had recent medical record-documented pruritus. Patients reporting clinically significant pruritus appeared to have higher mean scores across PBC-40 domains (indicating reduced HRQoL), versus patients with no/mild patient-reported pruritus or medical-record documented pruritus.
conclusionCompared with patient-reported measures, pruritus in PBC is under-recorded in medical records and is associated with lower HRQoL. Research based only on medical records underestimates the true burden of pruritus, meaning physicians may be unaware of the extent and impact of pruritus, leading to potential undertreatment.
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