What are bile acids?
Bile acid is formed from cholesterol and is a component of bile. It is indispensable for fat digestion. The most important bile acids are cholic acid and chenodesoxycholic acid. Every day, the liver cells release 800 to 1000 milliliters of this fluid, which flows through the bile ducts into the duodenum. There, the bile acids support fat digestion. If the intestine does not need bile, it is stored in the gallbladder.
The total amount of bile acids in the body is about four grams. Each day, about 0.5 grams are excreted in the stool and replaced by the liver with new bile acids.
When is the bile acid concentration in the blood determined?
Bile acid concentration is determined in diseases of the liver and intestines. It can be measured in blood serum.
Bile acid – blood values
What bile acid concentration in the blood is considered “normal” depends on age:
|
Age |
|
|
up to 4 weeks |
< 29 µmol/l |
|
5 weeks to 1 year |
< 9 µmol/l |
|
from 2 years |
< 6 µmol/l |
When is the bile acid level decreased?
In certain diseases, increased bile acids can be lost from the body via the stool. In “bile acid loss syndrome”, the intestine is damaged and cannot reabsorb the bile acid. This happens, for example, in Crohn’s disease and after surgical removal of the small intestine.
When is the bile acid level elevated?
- inflammation of the liver
- liver damage
- congestion of bile juices in the bile ducts (bile ducts, gallbladder)
Altered bile acid levels in the blood: What to do?
The nature of the symptoms may already provide clues as to their cause. For a more precise clarification of the increased or decreased bile acid levels, the doctor will perform further examinations. In most cases, liver values are determined in addition to the concentration of bile acid.