[Primary biliary cirrhosis in Navarra]

50 cases of PBC registered in Navarra during 1974-1987 were studied retrospectively. 38% of the diagnosis were carried out in the non-symptomatic period. There were no histological differences between symptomatic (2.24 +/- 1.16) periods. In the first group the delay in diagnosis was very high: 28.21 months, the jaundice being followed by itching of 11.65 months duration. The rate of PBC has increased progressively, rising to a global incidence of 25.15/million and 78.03/million for women over 25 years old. There figures are 3 and 9 times higher than those published in spanish and most foreign literature. We did not find any significant differences between the several health service areas in Navarra, nor between rural or urban areas. Our paper brings to the fore this question: is Navarra an area of especial prevalence of PBC or does it simply offer better diagnosis conditions?