Inflammatory Bowel Disease with Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis – What is New?

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with concomitant primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) has emerged as a significant area of research. The epidemiology and characteristics of IBD and PSC individually have been extensively studied, enhancing our understanding of each condition. Notably, the prevalence of IBD in patients diagnosed with PSC is high, exceeding 50%, and the clinical course of IBD in these cases is distinct. This has led to the hypothesis that the histopathological features and genetic factors of IBD with concomitant PSC (IBD-PSC) might differ from those of IBD or PSC alone. Some researchers propose that IBD-PSC could be classified as a distinct clinical entity. This paper reviews existing literature on IBD-PSC, emphasizing novel findings in the pathogenesis related to both ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease, with a focus on potential genetic determinants unique to IBD-PSC.