Cholestasis means any condition in which bile flow is reduced or stopped. "Chole" refers to bile and "stasis" means "not moving." Bile flow may be blocked inside the liver, outside the liver, or in both places. Symptoms may include:
- Jaundice
- Dark urine
- Pale stool
- Easy bleeding
- Itching
- Small, spider-like blood vessels visible in the skin
- Enlarged spleen
- Ascites
- Chills
- Pain from the biliary tract or pancreas
- Enlarged gallbladder
Some causes of cholestasis include the following:
- Hepatitis
- Alcoholic liver disease
- Primary biliary cirrhosis
- Drug effects
- Hormonal changes during pregnancy
- A stone in the bile duct
- Bile duct narrowing
- Bile duct cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Inflammation of the pancreas