A bile acid, usually conjugated with either glycine or taurine. It acts as a detergent
to solubilize fats for intestinal absorption and is reabsorbed by the small intestine.
It is used as cholagogue, a choleretic laxative, and to prevent or dissolve gallstones.
Gallstones
Solid crystalline precipitates in the biliary tract, usually formed in the gallbladder.
Gallstones, derived from the bile, consist mainly of calcium, cholesterol, or bilirubin.
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Cholestasis
Impairment of bile flow due to obstruction in small bile ducts ( Intrahepatic Cholestasis)
or obstruction in large bile ducts ( Extrahepatic Cholestasis).
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Pharmacologic Action
Gastrointestinal Agent
Drugs used for their effects on the gastrointestinal system, as to control gastric acidity,
regulate gastrointestinal motility and water flow, and improve digestion.
Cathartic
Agents that promote and/or ease defecation by accelerating the passage of feces through
the large intestine, by influencing the consistency and amount of stool, and by
facilitating the elimination of feces from the rectum. The terms laxative and cathartic
reflect the typical intensity and latency of effect. A cathartic usually produces
prompt fluid evacuation, while a laxative usually produces a soft formed stool over
a protracted period; the same drug may act as a laxative
or a cathartic depending on the dose administered or individual patient sensitivity.
Free Full Text
08 Sep 2008
Gallstones - approach to medical management
Between 10% and 15% of individuals in the industrialized world have gallstones.
The standard treatment is laparoscopic cholecystectomy, making gallstone disease
the second most costly digestive disorder in most Western countries. Despite a rapid
convalescence, the procedure is not devoid of morbidity or even mortality. Bile duct
injury is particularly troublesome, occurring in 0.1% to 0.5% of cases, even in the
most experienced hands. Moreover, some 20% of patients continue to suffer from pain
(the main indication for treatment) after cholecystectomy.
In patients with mild symptoms, surgical treatment has been associated with a
higher morbidity than the natural course of the disease. Medical dissolution
therapy with bile acids is an alternative
for patients with mild-to-moderate symptoms due to cholesterol gallstones.
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