The normal range of total bile acids is 0.1-10.0 umoI/L. A total bile acid value of 267 umoI/L is considered significantly elevated. Elevated total bile acids can be due to physiologic factors and pathologic factors such as liver disease, biliary obstruction, portal shunt and so on.
1. Physiological factors: the total bile acid will be elevated after the patient eats a high-fat diet before the liver function test. In addition, during pregnancy, the burden of liver function will increase significantly, and part of bile acids cannot be transformed and metabolized by the liver in time, which will enter the bloodstream and eventually show the phenomenon of elevated total bile acids.
2. Pathologic factors:
(1) Liver diseases: such as acute hepatitis, cirrhosis, alcoholic hepatitis and other diseases, can be due to liver cell damage, the phenomenon of elevated total bile acids.
(2) Biliary obstruction: such as intrahepatic and extrahepatic bile duct obstruction, cholestasis syndrome and other diseases, which can lead to the phenomenon of elevated total bile acids due to the obstruction of bile excretion.
(3) Portal shunt: Secondary bile acids in the intestinal tract enter the body’s circulation directly through the shunted portal system, leading to the phenomenon of elevated total bile acids.
It is recommended that patients with elevated total bile acids seek medical advice and do not treat the condition on their own.