Abnormality of oral ursodeoxycholic acid tolerance test in the Dubin-Johnson syndrome

Abstract

Serial measurement of serum bile acid levels before and after oral administration of ursodeoxycholic acid (UDCA) was performed in 10 patients with Dubin-Johnson syndrome (DJS) and 13 normal controls. Results showed that the fasting serum bile acid levels were significantly elevated in the patients compared with the controls ( p < 0.05). Oral UDCA tolerance studies revealed impaired bile acid clearance from serum in the patients and showed markedly increased serum bile acid levels 120 min after administration ( p < 0.01). These results indicate that some DJS patients have abnormal bile clearance which may be attributable to defects in hepatic uptake and biliary excretion of bile acids.