Abstract
Five out of 26 consecutive patients with primary biliary cirrhosis had intestinal villous atrophy. These patients showed many features that are not characteristic of primary biliary cirrhosis, such as a preponderance of men and high prevalence of HLA-B8, piecemeal necroses, and smooth-muscle antibodies. No improvement of the liver disease was apparent after 6-22 months on a gluten-free diet.