What lab findings are commonly seen in patients with PBC?

Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) is a chronic autoimmune liver disease characterized by the destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. As the disease progresses, it leads to cholestasis and subsequent liver damage.

In patients with PBC, both alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin levels tend to be elevated. Alkaline phosphatase is particularly associated with cholestasis, which is a hallmark of PBC due to the impaired flow of bile. Elevated bilirubin, especially in later stages of the disease, indicates liver dysfunction and is a result of the liver's compromised ability to excrete bile acids and bilirubin.

While liver transaminases (such as AST and ALT) can be elevated in PBC, they are not as consistently elevated as alkaline phosphatase levels, which are more specific to cholestatic liver diseases. Coagulopathy may occur as the disease progresses yet is not a primary or defining lab finding in the early stages. Hyperglycemia is also not a typical finding associated with PBC.

Thus, the presence of elevated alkaline phosphatase and bilirubin is common and characteristic in patients with primary biliary cholangitis, making this answer correct.