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Bilirubin is a yellow-orange pigment that occurs naturally when part of your red blood cells break down. Your liver takes bilirubin from your blood and changes its chemical makeup so that most of it passes through your tube as bile. A bilirubin test measures the amount of bilirubin in your blood. It is used to help find the cause of health conditions such as jaundice. Anemia and liver disease.
According to a report by the site webmd If your bilirubin levels are higher than normal, this is a sign that your red blood cells are breaking down at an unusual rate or that your liver is not breaking down waste properly and removing bilirubin from your blood..
Reasons for taking a bilirubin test
In children and adults, doctors use it to diagnose and monitor diseases of the liver and bile ducts. These include cirrhosis, hepatitis, and gallstones. It will also help determine if you have sickle cell disease or other conditions that cause hemolytic anemia. This is a disorder where red blood cells are destroyed faster. of composition.
High levels of bilirubin can cause yellowing of the skin and eyes, a condition doctors call jaundice. High bilirubin levels are common in newborns. Doctors use the newborn’s age, type, and bilirubin levels to determine if treatment is necessary..
Your doctor may order a bilirubin test if you:
- Show signs of jaundice
- You suffer from anemia or low red blood cells
- There may be a toxic reaction to the medicine
- exposed to hepatitis viruses
- You have cirrhosis
You can also test for bilirubin if you have symptoms such as:
- dark urine
- Vomiting and nausea
- Abdominal pain
- exhaustion
Test results
The bilirubin test measures total bilirubin: it can also give levels of two different types of bilirubin, unconjugated and conjugated..
Unconjugated “indirect” bilirubin: This is the bilirubin produced by the breakdown of red blood cells that travels in the blood to the liver.
‘Direct’ conjugated bilirubin: This is bilirubin once it reaches the liver and undergoes a chemical change that travels to the intestine before being removed through the stool..
For adults over 18, normal total bilirubin can be up to 1.2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) of blood, for those under 18, a normal level would be 1 mg/dL results should be normal For conjugated (direct) bilirubin less than 0.3 mg/dL, men tend to have slightly higher bilirubin levels than women.
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