Understanding the Causes of Cholestasis and its Treatment

Cholestasis is a condition in where there is a disruption of bile flow, causing health problems. The disorder can occur due to lack of bile or there is blockage in the bile duct.

Cholestasis can cause several symptoms, such as jaundice ( jaundice ), dark urine color, whitish bowel movements such as putty, itching, nausea vomiting, and abdominal pain. This condition needs to get a medical examination from a doctor.

Understanding the Causes of Cholestasis and its Treatment

Know the Causes of Cholestasis

There are two causes of cholestasis, namely those originating from the liver (intrahepatic cholestasis), and those from outside the liver (extrahepatic cholestasis).

Some of the causes of intrahepatic cholestasis are:

Suffering from certain diseases

Generally intrahepatic cholestasis is caused by liver disease, such as acute hepatitis, liver disease due to excessive alcohol consumption, cirrhosis, and liver cancer. Some genetic disorders and severe infections, such as liver abscesses and sepsis, can also cause cholestasis.

Drug side effects

The use of certain drugs is also one of the factors causing intrahepatic cholestasis. Drugs with side effects that can cause cholestasis are chlorpromazine , antibiotic drugs such as ampicillin , penicillin, and amoxicillin , anabolic steroids, antituberculosis drugs, azathioprine , cimetidine , and birth control pills.

Cholestasis in pregnant women

In pregnant women, pregnancy hormones can cause interference with bile flow. Conditions like this usually occur in the third trimester of pregnancy which is characterized by symptoms of severe itching.

After operations

In certain cases, cholestasis can also occur after surgery, especially in major surgeries in the organs in the stomach or the heart. The occurrence of postoperative cholestasis is also more likely to occur in patients who have a history of pancreatic disease or gallbladder problems.

Meanwhile, several factors that can cause extrahepatic cholestasis are:

  • Gallstones or tumors in the bile duct.
  • Narrowing in the bile duct.
  • Cancer in the bile duct.
  • Pancreatic disorders, as in pancreatitis and pancreatic cancer.
  • Cysts that suppress the bile duct.
  • Colangitis.

To ensure a diagnosis of cholestasis, the doctor will perform a physical and supporting examination such as a complete blood test and a bilirubin test. In addition, doctors will also conduct ultrasound examinations, MRI and CT scans of the liver and gall bladder to look for the causes of cholestasis.

If cholestasis is suspected to be caused by liver cancer, the doctor will do a liver biopsy to detect whether there are cancer cells in the liver.

How to treat cholestasis

After the diagnosis of cholestasis and its identified factors, the first step in treating cholestasis is to overcome the underlying cause. If cholestasis is caused due to side effects of medication, the doctor will recommend to stop treatment for a while.

However, if cholestasis is caused by certain diseases, such as the presence of gallstones or tumors, doctors can give medicines or suggest surgery. Surgery can be done with general surgical techniques, laparoscopic surgery, or endoscopy.

Especially for cholestatic pregnancy, treatment usually aims to relieve itching. It is likely that the doctor will prescribe a corticosteroid ointment or antigatal ointment.

One effort to prevent cholestasis that can be done is to get a hepatitis vaccine, limit consumption of alcoholic beverages and stay away from drugs.

Cholestasis can be caused by many things, immediately consult a doctor if there are symptoms of cholestasis as mentioned earlier. The doctor will carry out a complete examination and determine further steps to treat cholestasis.

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