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The serum bile acid blood test for ICP is a quantitative measurement of bile acids. Other problems with the liver that occur in pregnancy should be considered by the treating clinician. These include preeclampsia, the HELLP syndrome, and acute fatty liver of pregnancy. Furthermore, other causes of hepatitis, like hepatitis viruses, cancer and ...
Bile acids comprise about 80% of the organic compounds in bile (others are phospholipids and cholesterol). [5] An increased secretion of bile acids produces an increase in bile flow. Bile acids facilitate digestion of dietary fats and oils. They serve as micelle-forming surfactants, which encapsulate nutrients, facilitating their absorption. [6]
Later in pregnancy, the woman might develop physiological hydronephrosis and hydroureter, which are normal. [33] Progesterone causes vasodilatation and increased blood flow to the kidneys, and as a result glomerular filtration rate (GFR) commonly increases by 50%, returning to normal around 20 weeks postpartum. [22]
Cholestasis is a condition where the flow of bile from the liver to the duodenum is impaired. [1] The two basic distinctions are: [1] obstructive type of cholestasis, where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system that can occur from a gallstone or malignancy, and
Bile is secreted by the liver into small ducts that join to form the common hepatic duct. [4] Between meals, secreted bile is stored in the gallbladder. [5] During a meal, the bile is secreted into the duodenum (part of the small intestine) to rid the body of waste stored in the bile as well as aid in the absorption of dietary fats and oils. [5]
Finally, the conjugated bile acids which remained un-ionized conjugated bile acids are passively absorbed. Venous blood from the ileum goes straight into the portal vein and then into the liver sinusoids. There, hepatocytes extract bile acids very efficiently, and little escapes the healthy liver into systemic circulation.
Simple blood tests may help to determine the magnitude of the disease by assessing the degree of liver fibrosis. [28] For example, AST-to-platelets ratio index (APRI score) and several other scores, calculated from the results of blood tests, can detect the degree of liver fibrosis and predict the future formation of liver cancer. [29]
[11] [12] [13] Levels in the third trimester can be as much as 2-fold greater than in non-pregnant women. [11] As a result, ALP is not a reliable marker of hepatic function in pregnant women. [11] In contrast to ALP, levels of ALT, AST, GGT, and lactate dehydrogenase are only slightly changed or largely unchanged during pregnancy. [11]