Many people have no symptoms at first and the disease is only discovered because of abnormal results of routine blood tests in patients with ulcerative colitis or Crohn’s disease. In some people PSC does not produce any symptoms. Most people have few or no symptoms for many years.
Common early symptoms are:
- tiredness
- some abdominal discomfort in the right upper abdomen.
Late symptoms are:
- itching
- jaundice – yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes
- episodes of fever, shaking and chills can be distressing but are uncommon.
Liver failure may ultimately develop.
PSC may be occasionally complicated by the development of bile duct cancer. PSC is closely
associated with inflammatory bowel disease, usually ulcerative colitis, but also Crohn’s disease.
The course of the ulcerative colitis is often very mild, with few flare-ups. However bowel cancer does appear to develop more frequently in patients with colitis who also have PSC and regular yearly examination of the colon by colonoscopy (a tiny video camera) is recommended.