Bili Health Dictionary

See CHOLECYSTITIS, CHOLECYSTALGIA, etc.... biliary colic

A waste product of hemoglobin recycling, it is primarily excreted in feces, oxidizing into that familiar brown color (except for beets).... bilirubin

A symptom-picture resulting from a short-term disordered liver, with constipation, frontal headache, spots in front of the eyes, poor appetite, and nausea or vomiting. The usual causes are heavy alcohol consumption, poor ventilation when working with solvents, heavy binging with fatty foods, or moderate consumption of rancid fats. The term is genially archaic in medicine; people who are bilious are seldom genial, however.... biliousness

A rare disorder, present from birth, in which some or all of the bile ducts fail to develop or have developed abnormally.

As a result, bile is unable to drain from the liver (see cholestasis).

Unless the atresia can be treated, secondary biliary cirrhosis will develop and may prove fatal.

Symptoms include deepening jaundice, usually beginning a week after birth, and the passing of dark urine and pale faeces.

Treatment is by surgery to bypass the ducts.

If this fails, or if the jaundice recurs, a liver transplant is the only possible treatment.... biliary atresia

adj. 1. containing bile; for example bilious vomiting is the vomiting of bile-containing fluid. 2. a lay term used to describe attacks of nausea or vomiting.... bilious

Linn.

Family: Oxalidaceae; Averrhoaceae.

Habitat: Native to Malaysia; cultivated throughout the country.

English: Bilimbi, Tree Sorrel.

Ayurvedic: Karmaranga (var.).

Unani: Belambu (a variety of Kamrakh).

Siddha/Tamil: Pilimbi, Pulichakkai.

Action: A syrup made from the fruits is used in febrile excitement, haemorrhages and internal haemorrhoids; also in diarrhoea, bilious colic and hepatitis. The fruit is used for scurvy. An infusion of flowers is given for cough.... averrhoa bilimbi

The presence of abnormally high bilirubin in the blood, usually signifying hepatitis, with jaundice due next week.... bilirubinemia

Herbs with an affinity for the liver and gallbladder, prescribed for inflammation of those organs and promotion of bile.

Balmony, Barberry, Betony, Bitter root, Black root, Centuary, Chamomile, Dandelion, Fringe Tree, Fumitory, Goldenseal, Holy Thistle, Hops, Mountain Grape, Mugwort, Pomegranate bark, Vervain, Wahoo, Wild Yam, Wormwood. ... anti-bilious

An uncommon form of liver cirrhosis that results from problems with the bile ducts, either due to an autoimmune disorder known as primary biliary cirrhosis, or a longstanding blockage. Primary biliary cirrhosis affects mainly middle-aged women and seems to be linked with a malfunction of the immune system. Secondary biliary cirrhosis results from prolonged bile duct obstruction or biliary atresia. In both types, liver function is impaired due to cholestasis (accumulation of bile in the liver). In primary biliary cirrhosis, the bile ducts within the liver become inflamed and are destroyed. Symptoms include itching, jaundice, an enlarged liver, and sometimes abdominal pain, fatty diarrhoea, and xanthomatosis. Osteoporosis may develop. Symptoms of liver cirrhosis and liver failure may occur after several years. Drugs can minimize complications and relieve symptoms such as itching. A liver transplant is the only long-term cure.

The symptoms and signs of secondary biliary cirrhosis include abdominal pain and tenderness, liver enlargement, fevers and chills, and sometimes blood abnormalities. Treatment is the same as for bile duct obstruction.... biliary cirrhosis

The organs and ducts by which bile is formed, concentrated, and carried from the liver to the duodenum (the first part of the small intestine). Bile is secreted by the liver cells and collected by a network of bile ducts that carry the bile out of the liver by way of the hepatic duct. A channel called the cystic duct branches off the hepatic duct and leads to the gallbladder where bile is concentrated and stored. Beyond this junction, the hepatic duct becomes the common bile duct and opens into the duodenum at a controlled orifice called the ampulla of Vater. The presence of fat in the duodenum after a meal causes secretion of a hormone, which opens the ampulla of Vater and makes the gallbladder contract, squeezing stored bile into the duodenum.

The main disorders affecting the biliary system are gallstones, congenital biliary atresia and bile duct obstruction.

(See also gallbladder, disorders of.)... biliary system

adj. relating to or affecting the bile duct or bile. See also fistula.... biliary

(choluria) n. the presence of bile in the urine: a feature of certain forms of jaundice.... biliuria

n. see bile pigments.... biliverdin