Ursodeoxycholic Acid in the Treatment of Chronic Liver Disease

Recent data have suggested that ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) is useful in the treatment of a variety of chole-static and chronic liver diseases. Symptomatic and biochemical improvement have heen ohserved in diseases such as primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis, and cystic fibrosis, but data on histological improvement and survival are limited. The purpose of this article is to review the proposed mechanisms of action of UDCA and to critically evaluate the existing literature reporting a heneficial therapeutic effect of UDCA in the treatment of chronic liver disease.