Bile Acid Diarrhea: Now, A Simple Blood Test Can Identify This Tabooed Disease

If you have frequent and sudden diarrhea more than 10 times a day, it is mostly likely Bile Acid Diarrhea. Get to know more about this condition.

Those frequent visits to the bathroom due to diarrhea can be really exhausting and irritating. Diarrhea is a common problem, especially in the monsoon season. Various factors can increase the risk of diarrhea during the monsoon, but the most common cause is consumption of contaminated food or water. In most cases, it passes quickly. But chronic diarrhea can seriously affect the patient’s everyday life. Bile acid malabsorption or bile acid diarrhea is a form of chronic diarrhea that affects a lot of people, but it is often diagnosed late or not diagnosed at all.

There is lack of knowledge about bile acid diarrhea among healthcare workers and the current process of diagnosing the disease is relatively complex and expensive. The good news is researchers have found new ways of diagnosing this chronic diarrhea and identifying the most effective treatment for the individual patient.

Symptoms of bile acid diarrhea

If you have to rush to the bathroom more than 10 times a day, you’re likely suffering from bile acid diarrhea. This chronic condition is characterised by frequent and sudden diarrhea more than 10 times a day, according to Professor Jesper B je Andersen from the Biotech Research & Innovation Centre.

Many people suffer from this form of chronic diarrhea, without even knowing about it. The majority of cases are diagnosed at a very late stage or never diagnosed at all.

While the disease is not life-threatening, it can be extremely disabling, affecting the patient’s work and social life. A lot of people with this condition isolate themselves.

A simple blood test for diagnosis of bile acid diarrhea

Now, bile acid diarrhea can be diagnosed with a simple blood test.

Professor Andersen and his research group have come up with a new method for diagnosis of the disease based on a simple blood sample. It focuses on molecules known as metabolites in the blood.

In bile acid diarrhea patients, the metabolites in the blood form a particular pattern that makes them recognizable, said Professor Andersen.

A blood sample contains hundreds of different metabolites, and a handful of these molecules can be used to diagnose bile acid diarrhea, he added.

At present, diagnosis of bile acid diarrhea involves radiopharmaceuticals, which poses radiation risk to the patients. Plus, the process is unpleasant and arduous. Also, many countries, including the US, do not support this method.

The new method can help doctors identify patients with bile acid diarrhea based on a simple blood sample and recommend the right treatment.

A new treatment of bile acid diarrhea

In a clinical study, doctors at Herlev and Gentofte Hospital, tested that efficacy of a new treatment of bile acid diarrhea, involving liraglutide (a drug normally used to treat type 2 diabetes and severe overweight).

The liraglutide treatment eased the symptoms of 77 per cent of the patients while 50 per cent of the patients responded well to the conventional treatment involving bile acid sequestrant colesevelam.

Based on the study results, Professor Andersen suggested that the metabolites in the patients’ blood may help determine which treatment would be most effective.