Serum bile acids in Gilbert's syndrome after oral load of chenodeoxycholic acid.

Oral bile acid loading tests using 1 g of unconjugated chenodeoxycholic acid (CDA) were performed in subjects with Gilbert's syndrome before and after reduced caloric intake. The study was carried out to ascertain whether the hepatic handling of CDA was restricted in the same manner as recently described for ursodeoxycholic acid. In subjects with Gilbert's syndrome, the bile acid concentrations after the oral loading tests did not differ significantly from those found in reference groups. No differences were found in the serum bile acid values before and after caloric restriction, indicating that the bile acid handling was not influenced by the increased bilirubin levels obtained after fasting. Our results indicate that the hepatic handling of CDA is normal in Gilbert's syndrome.