NICE states that bile acid diarrhoea (BAD) may be the cause of diarrhoea in up to one-third of people who have been labelled as having IBS-D or functional diarrhoea.
These patients usually have ‘unremitting diarrhoea’ daily and don’t usually switch to constipation or normal bowel movements. It is especially relevant for those who have had their gallbladder removed, or those with Crohn’s disease.
Bile acids are pumped into the small intestine by the gallbladder, where they breakdown dietary fats. Usually the bile acids are reabsorbed back into the body at the ileum (lower down in the small intestine). But in those with BAD, the bile acids don’t get reabsorbed properly and when they reach the large intestine, because they are salts, they cause more water to be drawn into the large intestine and this triggers the diarrhoea.
Bile Acid Diarrhoea
