In medicine, cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum. Bile formation is a secretory function of the liver. It begins in bile canaliculi that form between two adjacent surfaces of liver cells (hepatocytes) similar to the terminal branches of a tree. The canalculi join each other to form larger and larger structures, sometimes referred to as Canals of Hering, which themselves join to form small bile ductules that have an epithelial surface. The ductules join to form bile ducts that eventually form either the right main hepatic duct that drains the right lobe of the liver and the left main hepatic duct draining the left lobe of the liver. The two ducts joint to form the common bile duct which enters the duodenum. The two basic distinctions are an obstructive type of cholestasis where there is a mechanical blockage in the duct system such as can occur from a gallstone or malignancy and metabolic types of cholestasis which are disturbances in bile formation that can occur because of genetic defects or acquired as a side effect of many medications. Medicine is the branch of health science and the sector of public life concerned with maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, treatment and possible prevention of disease and injury. ... Bile (or gall) is a bitter, greenish-yellow alkaline fluid secreted by the liver of most vertebrates. ... The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. ... In anatomy of the digestive system, the duodenum is a hollow jointed tube connecting the stomach to the jejunum. ...

Etiology

• gallstones
• abdominal mass (e.g. cancer)
• primary sclerosing cholangitis, secondary to inflammatory bowel disease
• Primary biliary cirrhosis, secondary to autoimmune disorders
• congential anomalies of the bilary tract
• biliary trauma
• some drugs, (e.g. Flucloxacillin and Erythromycin)
• in children, biliary atresia and other pediatric liver diseases
• Pregnancy, referred to as Intrahepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy, or Obstetric Cholestasis

In medicine, gallstones (choleliths) are crystalline bodies formed within the body by accretion or concretion of normal or abnormal bile components. ... An abdominal mass is any localized enlargement or swelling in the human abdomen. ... Cancer is a class of diseases or disorders characterized by uncontrolled division of cells and the ability of these cells to invade other tissues, either by direct growth into adjacent tissue through invasion or by implantation into distant sites by metastasis. ... Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) is an inflammatory disease of the bile duct, which leads to cholestasis (blockage of bile transport to the gut). ... In medicine, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a group of inflammatory conditions of the large intestine and, in some cases, the small intestine. ... Primary biliary cirrhosis is an autoimmune disease of the liver marked by the slow progressive destruction of the small bile ducts within the liver. ... In medicine, a trauma patient has suffered serious and life-threatening physical injury resulting in secondary complications such as shock, respiratory failure and death. ... Flucloxacillin (INN) or floxacillin (USAN) is a narrow spectrum beta-lactam antibiotic. ... Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic which has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. ... Biliary atresia is a rare condition in newborn children in which the biliary tract between the liver and the intestine is blocked or absent. ... Pregnant woman at 26-week gestation A pregnant woman near the end of her term Pregnancy is the carrying of one or more embryos or fetuses by female mammals, including humans, inside their bodies. ... A Laypersons guide to Intrehepatic Cholestasis of Pregnancy, or Obstetric Cholestasis Itching has long been considered to be a common symptom of pregnancy. ...

Symptoms

• Pale stools,
• dark urine,
• itchiness (pruritus) and
• jaundice.

Bile is secreted by the liver to aid in the digestion of fats. Drugs such as gold salts,nitrofurantoin, anabolic steroids, chlorpromazine, prochlorperazine, sulindac, cimetidine, erythromycin, can cause cholestasis and may result in damage to the liver. An itch (Latin: pruritus) is a sensation felt on an area of skin that makes a person or animal want to scratch it. ... Jaundice, also known as icterus (attributive adjective: icteric), is a yellowing of the skin, sclera (the white of the eyes) and mucous membranes caused by increased levels of bilirubin in the human body (or the body of another red blooded animal). ... Bile (or gall) is a bitter, greenish-yellow alkaline fluid secreted by the liver of most vertebrates. ... Please wikify (format) this article as suggested in the Guide to layout and the Manual of Style. ... Fats is the plural for fat, a generic term for a class of lipids in biochemistry. ... Gold salts are primarily used in medicine, to reduce inflammation and to slow disease progression in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, and for some industrial purposes. ... Nitrofurantoin is an antibiotic drug. ... Anabolic steroids are a class of natural and synthetic steroid hormones that promote cell growth and division, resulting in growth of muscle tissue and sometimes bone size and strength. ... Erythromycin is a macrolide antibiotic which has an antimicrobial spectrum similar to or slightly wider than that of penicillin, and is often used for people who have an allergy to penicillins. ... The liver is the largest internal organ of the human body. ...

See also

• Liver function tests
• Lipoprotein-X - an abnormal low density lipoprotein found in cholestasis

Liver function tests (LFTs or LFs), which include liver enzymes, are groups of clinical biochemistry laboratory blood assays designed to give a doctor or other health professional information about the state of a patients liver. ... Lipoprotein-X (Lp-X) is an abnormal low density lipoprotein found in cholestasis. ... Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) refers to a class and range of lipoprotein particles, varying in their size and contents, which carry cholesterol in the blood and around the body, for use by cells. ...

External links

• Drug-induced cholestasis - medlineplus.org
• Cholestasis - emedicine.com
• Liver Families = pediatric liver support group