Habba syndrome is chronic diarrhea caused by a dysfunctional gallbladder that produces excess bile, leading to poor health and fatigue. Dr. Saad Habba’s study suggests that over 40% of patients diagnosed with IBS actually have Habba syndrome, which can be treated with bile acid binding agents.
Habba syndrome is chronic debilitating diarrhea caused by a dysfunctional gallbladder. It is named after Dr. Saad Habba, whose study of chronic diarrhea from dysfunctional gallbladder was published in the August 2000 issue of the American Journal of Gastroenterology. His study suggests that a dysfunctional gallbladder that fills the digestive tract with excess bile stimulates the colon to release intestinal contents rapidly and frequently.
Normally, the gallbladder stores bile produced by the liver. The gallbladder secretes bile into the intestines to digest fats. Too much or too little bile causes various digestive problems, more or less serious depending on the patient’s constitution. Gallstones, blocked bile ducts, or inflammation inhibit the normal function of the gallbladder. Habbas syndrome is caused when the dysfunctional gallbladder produces excess bile, leading to chronic diarrhea.
Chronic diarrhea is an embarrassing and debilitating ailment for millions of people. It can also lead to extreme tiredness and poor health due to the intestines’ inability to absorb adequate nutrients from the diet. Dr. Habba has been approached by several patients complaining of chronic diarrhea soon after meals. Originally diagnosed and treated for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), these patients have had little or no improvement in their conditions.
Dr. Habba conducted studies on various patients, noting the common ailments that afflicted them: chronic diarrhea after meals, fear of leaving the house for fear of bowel incontinence, failure to improve with standard IBS therapy, and radiological tests revealing gallbladder dysfunction. Dr. Habba noted that unlike IBS sufferers, these patients experienced no intestinal pain or intestinal cramping, only urgent and sometimes explosive diarrhea.
Habba prescribed cholestyramine, a drug given to patients after their gallbladders were removed. Her patients had immediate relief. Dr. Habba formulated a theory that patients with intact but dysfunctional gallbladders suffered from this chronic diarrhea, which he called Habba syndrome. Bile acid binding agents such as cholestyramine, colesevelam, and colestipol bind gallbladder bile in the intestinal tract, preventing reabsorption. Patients with Habba syndrome who undergo drug therapy have shown improvement almost immediately.
According to Dr. Habba, over 40% of patients in his study who were diagnosed with IBS have Habba syndrome. As of 2011, Habba syndrome was a medical theory that required further study. Sufferers of chronic diarrhea from gallbladder dysfunction, however, have found relief with bile acid binding agents and gained the ability to function again in life.
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