National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2



Other Names:
PFIC2; Severe ABCB11 deficiency
Categories:

Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2 (PFIC2) is a rare condition that affects the liver. People with this condition generally develop signs and symptoms during infancy, which may include severe itching, jaundice, failure to thrive, portal hypertension (high blood pressure in the vein that provides blood to the liver) and hepatosplenomegaly (enlarged liver and spleen). PFIC2 generally progresses to liver failure in the first few years of life. Affected people also have an increased risk of developing hepatocellular carcinoma (a form of liver cancer). PFIC2 is caused by change (mutations) in the ABCB11 gene and is inherited in an autosomal recessive manner. Treatment may include ursodeoxycholic acid therapy to prevent liver damage, surgery and/or liver transplantation.[1][2][3]
Last updated: 11/4/2015

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Autosomal recessive inheritance 0000007
Cirrhosis
Scar tissue replaces healthy tissue in the liver
0001394
Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia 0002908
Death in childhood 0003819
Diarrhea
Watery stool
0002014
Elevated alkaline phosphatase
Greatly elevated alkaline phosphatase
High serum alkaline phosphatase
Increased alkaline phosphatase
Increased serum alkaline phosphatase
[ more ]
0003155
Failure to thrive
Faltering weight
Weight faltering
[ more ]
0001508
Fat malabsorption 0002630
Hepatocellular carcinoma 0001402
Hepatomegaly
Enlarged liver
0002240
Infantile onset
Onset in first year of life
Onset in infancy
[ more ]
0003593
Intermittent jaundice
Intermittent yellow skin
Intermittent yellowing of skin
[ more ]
0001046
Intrahepatic cholestasis 0001406
Pruritus
Itching
Itchy skin
Skin itching
[ more ]
0000989
Short stature
Decreased body height
Small stature
[ more ]
0004322
Splenomegaly
Increased spleen size
0001744
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources

  • The Genetic Testing Registry (GTR) provides information about the genetic tests for this condition. The intended audience for the GTR is health care providers and researchers. Patients and consumers with specific questions about a genetic test should contact a health care provider or a genetics professional.

If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Related diseases are conditions that have similar signs and symptoms. A health care provider may consider these conditions in the table below when making a diagnosis. Please note that the table may not include all the possible conditions related to this disease.

Conditions with similar signs and symptoms from Orphanet
In the scope of cholestasis with normal gamma-GT, differential diagnosis includes mainly primary bile acid synthesis defects and PFIC1 (see these terms).
Visit the Orphanet disease page for more information.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

  • Genetics Home Reference (GHR) contains information on Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2. This website is maintained by the National Library of Medicine.

In-Depth Information

  • Medscape Reference provides information on this topic. You may need to register to view the medical textbook, but registration is free.
  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

Questions sent to GARD may be posted here if the information could be helpful to others. We remove all identifying information when posting a question to protect your privacy. If you do not want your question posted, please let us know.


  1. Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis type 2. Orphanet. May 2011; http://www.orpha.net/consor/cgi-bin/OC_Exp.php?lng=en&Expert=79304.
  2. Kennedy M. Progressive Familial Intrahepatic Cholestasis. Medscape Reference. August 2013; http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/932794-overview.
  3. Progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis. Genetics Home Reference. December 2009; http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/progressive-familial-intrahepatic-cholestasis.