The concentration of serum bile acids during the course of acute hepatitis B.

The concentration of total 3-alpha-hydroxy bile acids in serum, conventional liver function tests, and hepatitis B surface antigen were assessed during the course of acute hepatitis B in 37 patients. The initially highly elevated serum bile acids decreased to reference levels more rapidly than the conventional liver function tests. Moreover, it was shown that prolonged elevations of serum bile acids may predict progression of the disease to chronicity.