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Duodenal bile acids have been estimated in three age groups in infancy from birth to 7 months, and age-related changes have been shown. The lowest concentrations of duodenal bile acids occurred in the youngest infants, and increasing concentrations were found with increasing age. Taurine conjugated bile acids predominated in early infancy, while in older infants bile acids were mainly conjugated with glycine. The probable presence of taurolithocholic acid in the duodenal bil of 2 newborns before the establishment of a gastrointestinal microflora remains to be confirmed, but could result either from transplacental passage of secondary bile acids or from endogenous synthesis by the fetal liver.

Bile acids were estimated in the duodenum of infants with protracted diarrhoea and compared with those in a control group. Significantly lower levels of total bile acids were found in infants with protracted diarrhoea, a finding which may be due to ileal dysfunction. Low concentrations of total bile acids may contribute to the poor nutritional state of these patients by impairing the normal digestion and absorption of dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins. The absence of deconjugated bile acids in the duodenal juice of most infants with protracted diarrhoea suggests that they do not contribute significantly to the pathophysiology of this disorder.