Serum bile acid

Bile acid is the main component of human bile and is the final product of cholesterol metabolism by liver tissue. The determination of serum total bile acids is mainly used for the diagnosis of liver diseases and is one of the most sensitive liver function tests. When liver cells are damaged, the bile acids absorbed from the intestinal tract cannot be effectively taken up, and the blood bile acid concentration increases. In addition, during cholestasis, liver cells secrete bile dysfunction and cannot excrete bile acids well, so the bile acids in the blood are also high. It is currently believed that the determination of bile acids in serum has a sensitivity of 76% and a specificity of 93% for the diagnosis of hepatobiliary diseases. Some people think that in chronic liver diseases such as cirrhosis, the rise of bile acids occurs earlier than changes in albumin, cholesterol, cholesterol esters, and bilirubin, so it is of great significance for the diagnosis of chronic liver diseases.