Abnormal serum bile acid concentration

What it means

A deviation from the normal concentration of serum bile acid concentration.

There are two major bile acids, cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid, which are synthesized in the hepatocyte by the cytochrome P450-mediated oxidation of cholesterol. These bile acids are secreted into the biliary canaliculi as sodium salts and conjugated with glycine, taurine, sulfate or glucuronic acid, and stored in the gall bladder until excreted into the intestinal lumen in response to a fatty meal. Enterohepatic circulation of bile salts is associated with conversion of the primary bile salts to secondary bile salts by bacerial enyzmes. The total bile pool of about 4 grams is recirculated about 5 to 10 times per day. Because serum bile salt concentration can increase by two to five times after a meal it is important that bile salts are measured while the subject is fasting.

Rare diseases that can present with this1

The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.

Part of the broader category