Bile acids Laboratory research

Bile acids are produced in the liver by conjugation of cholesterol with glycine and taurine. It is concentrated in the gall bladder and excreted in the intestine after eating. In the lumen of the intestine, bile acids ensure the emulsification of fats (the breaking down of large molecules into smaller fat molecules) and the digestion process. 90% of the bile acids secreted in the intestinal lumen are reabsorbed.
An increase in the concentration of bile acids is a highly sensitive indicator of liver diseases, such as: liver cirrhosis, hepatitis, cholestasis, portal vein thrombosis, Bad-Chiar syndrome, cholangitis, Wilson's disease, hemochromatosis and others. In intestinal malabsorption syndrome, the increase of bile acids in the blood is not observed. Metabolic disorders of the liver, such as Gilbert's syndrome, Crigler-Najjar hereditary jaundice, Dabbin-Jones syndrome, etc., do not cause disturbances in the concentration of bile acids in the blood.

Material for examination: 

Venous blood

Referral norms

< or =10 μmol/L