Colestyramine Health Dictionary

An alternative spelling for colestyramine.... cholestyramine

A greenish-brown alkaline liquid secreted by the liver. Bile carries away waste products formed in the liver and also helps to break down fats in the small intestine for digestion.

The waste products in bile include the pigments bilirubin and biliverdin, which give bile its greenish-brown colour; bile salts, which aid in the breakdown and absorption of fats; and cholesterol. Bile passes out of the liver through the bile ducts and is then concentrated and stored in the gallbladder. After a meal, bile is expelled and enters the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine) via the common bile duct. Most of the bile salts are later reabsorbed into the bloodstream to be recycled by the liver into bile. Bile pigments are excreted in the faeces. (See also biliary system; colestyramine.)

bile duct Any of the ducts by which bile is carried from the liver, first to the gallbladder and then to the duodenum (the first section of the small intestine). The bile duct system forms a network of tubular canals. Canaliculi (small canals) surround the liver cells and collect the bile. The canaliculi join together to form ducts of increasing size. The ducts emerge from the liver as the 2 hepatic ducts, which join within or just outside the liver to form the common hepatic duct. The cystic duct branches off to the gallbladder; from this point the common hepatic duct becomes the common bile duct and leads into the duodenum.

(See also biliary system.)

bile duct cancer See cholangiocarcinoma. bile duct obstruction A blockage or constriction of a bile duct (see biliary system). Bile duct obstruction results in accumulation of bile in the liver (cholestasis) and jaundice due to a buildup of bilirubin in the blood. Prolonged obstruction of the bile duct can lead to secondary biliary cirrhosis. The most common cause of obstruction is gallstones. Other causes include a tumour affecting the pancreas (see pancreas, cancer of), where the bile duct passes through it, or cancer that has spread from elsewhere in the body. Cholangiocarcinoma (cancer of the bile ducts) is a very rare cause of blockage. Bile duc.

obstruction is a rare side effect of certain drugs. It may also be caused by cholangitis (inflammation of the bile ducts), trauma (such as injury during surgery), and rarely by flukes or worms.

Bile duct obstruction causes “obstructive” jaundice, which is characterized by pale-coloured faeces, dark urine, and a yellow skin colour.

There may also be itching.

Other symptoms may include abdominal pain (with gallstones) or weight loss (with cancer).

Treatment depends on the cause, but surgery may be necessary.

Gallstones may be removed with an endoscope (see ERCP).... bile

Inflammation of the common bile duct (see biliary system). There are 2 types: acute ascending cholangitis and sclerosing cholangitis. Acute ascending cholangitis is usually due to bacterial infection of the duct and its bile, generally as a result of blockage of the duct by, for example, a gallstone (see bile duct obstruction). The infection spreads up the duct and may affect the liver. The main symptoms are recurrent bouts of jaundice, abdominal pain, chills, and fever. Mild attacks are treated with antibiotics and a high intake of fluids. In severe, life-threatening attacks, which may be accompanied by septicaemia and kidney failure, the infected material may be drained from the bile duct by surgery or endoscopy.

Sclerosing cholangitis is a rare condition in which all the bile ducts within and outside the liver become narrowed.

The condition causes cholestasis, chronic jaundice, and itching of the skin.

The liver is progressively damaged.

Colestyramine may relieve itching.

The only other treatment available is a liver transplant.... cholangitis

the organic acids in bile; mostly occurring as bile salts (sodium glycocholate and sodium taurocholate). They are cholic acid, deoxycholic acid, glycocholic acid, and taurocholic acid.

cebile-acid sequestrant a drug that binds to bile acids, forming a complex that is excreted in the faeces. Bile acids are formed in the liver from *cholesterol and the effect of loss of bile acids is a reduction in total body cholesterol and a decrease in *low-density lipoprotein serum levels. These drugs, which include *colestyramine and *colestipol, are used to treat patients with abnormally high blood cholesterol levels who are liable to develop coronary heart disease.... bile acids