Use of Antibiotics for Clinical Treatment of Cholangitis in PSC: A Discussion with Dr. Gideon Hirschfield

Living With PSC

PSC Partners Seeking a Cure is pleased to present Living With PSC, a podcast moderated by Niall McKay. Each month, this podcast explores the latest research and knowledge about primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC), a rare liver disease. From patient stories, to the latest research updates from PSC experts, to collaborations that are necessary to find better treatments and a cure, this podcast has it all!

In episode 25, Host Niall McKay talks with Dr. Gideon Hirschfield about the use of antibiotics for the treatment of infection in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC). Hirschfield says that antibiotics are used for the treatment of intermittent, symptomatic cholangitis in patients with PSC. "There's no evidence that the long-term use of antibiotics will change what ultimately happens to PSC patients," says Dr. Hirschfield. "But there's definitely evidence that, once you've got an infection, that drives PSC progression, which makes sense. Once the biliary tree is inflamed, it's never the same." McKay and Hirschfield touch on various PSC-related topics, including research into new ways to treat PSC symptoms. Dr. Hirschfield is the inaugural Lily and Terry Horner Chair in Autoimmune Liver Disease Research at the Toronto Centre for Liver Disease, Toronto General Hospital, and Professor of Medicine in the Division of Gastroenterology at the University of Toronto. As a clinician-scientist, Dr. Hirschfield manages a broad platform of translational and trials-based clinical science with the goal of advancing therapies for patients with inflammatory liver disease that prevent the need for transplantation.