Labelled Bile Salt Excretion and Diarrhoea in Coeliac Disease

Abstract

Faecal excretion of labelled bile salts after intravenous injection of carboxyl ¹⁴C-cholic acid was normal or low in eleven patients with untreated coeliac disease without diarrhoea. Five other coeliac patients with evident diarrhoea had increased excretion of labelled bile salts, suggesting that bile salt malabsorption may contribute to diarrhoea in coeliac disease.

Key-words:

• Bile salts
• carboxyl ¹⁴C-cholic acid
• coeliac disease
• diarrhoea
• malabsorption
• steatorrhoea