Two cases of inflammatory bowel disease diagnosed in the course of primary biliary cirrhosis

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), especially ulcerative colitis (UC), sometimes accompanies with primary sclerosing cirrhosis (PSC). Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is also a chronic liver disease, but is attributed to an unknown immune abnormality. PBC frequently accompanies various autoimmune diseases, but rarely IBD. We report 2 rare cases of IBD which developed in the course of treatment for PBC. A 64-year-old man had blood in his stool 17 months after he was given a diagnosis of PBC. Colonoscopy revealed erosion and disappearance of the vascular network pattern in the rectum. UC (rectal type) was diagnosed and he received mesalazine, and following which his symptoms improved. A 40-year-old woman developed diarrhea, fever and arthralgia while receiving treatment for PBC. Colonoscopy revealed ileal erosion, a longitudinal ulcer in the ascending colon but only mild rectal inflammation. These findings were atypical of UC, and we therefore diagnosed indeterminate colitis. Her symptoms disappeared as a result of the administration of mesalazine.