Bilirubin Metabolism & Jaundice

Bilirubin Metabolism & Jaundice Liver, Bilirubin Diagnosis Tests

Jaundice ● ● ● ● ● ●

Discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes & mucus membranes.

Caused by the increased amount of bilirubin in the blood.

Disruption in processing bilirubin properly or excess production of bilirubin due to some reasons, results jaundice.

It is a symptom for some underlying liver diseases.

Symptoms of jaundice are yellowing of skin, dark urine and itchiness.

Many medical tests and imaging process are there for diagnose jaundice.

What Is Bilirubin? ● ● ● ● ● -

The yellow colored waste material remains in the blood after the removal of iron from the blood.

Bilirubin is produced when the hemoglobin in the old red blood corpuscles broke down.

After the intake of iron remaining blood with bilirubin travels to the liver, processed by liver & form conjugated bilirubin.

Conjugated bilirubin mixed into bile, discharged to bile duct, stored in gallbladder, reaches small intestine & excreted within stool.

Three types of bilirubin levels are in blood, Direct Bilirubin : Bilirubin attached to glucuronic acid Indirect Bilirubin: Bilirubin not attached to glucuronic acid Total Bilirubin : All the bilirubin in the blood

Jaundice Causes ● ● ● ● ● ●

Acute inflammation of the liver - The situation in which liver cannot produce conjugated bilirubin, results buildup of bilirubin.

Inflammation of the bile duct - This prevents the secretion of bile and discharge of bilirubin through bile duct.

Obstruction of the bile duct - It prevents the liver from discarding bilirubin.

Hemolytic anemia - The production of excess bilirubin due to the large number red blood cells broke down.

Gilbert’s syndrome - An inherited condition that prevents the ability of enzymes to produce bile.

Cholestasis - This breaks the flow of bile from the liver.

Jaundice In Newborn Babies ● ● ● ● ● ●

Jaundice in newborn babies can be caused by several conditions like, Physiological jaundice Maternal-fetal blood group incompatibility (Rh, ABO) Breast milk jaundice Breastfeeding jaundice Cephalohematoma

Symptoms of jaundice Common symptoms seen in jaundice patients are, ● Yellowish color for skin, mucus membranes and whites of eyes. ● Pale feces. ● Itching of skin. ● Dark colored urine.

Some other additional signs or symptoms are, ● Fever & Headache ● Nausea and vomiting ● Abdominal pain ● Loss of appetite ● Weakness ● Swelling of legs and abdomen.

Preventive measures In some cases jaundice can be prevented by following preventive measures, ● Maintain a balanced diet. ● Exercise regularly. ● Stop the use of alcohols. ● Take vaccines for Hepatitis (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B). ● Avoid contaminated food & water. ● Maintain proper hygiene. ● Avoid use of intravenous drugs. ● Avoid medications that results damage of the liver or excess production of RBC.

Diagnosis methods of jaundice Several types of diagnosis tests are there to check the amount of bilirubin in the blood and the damages of the liver. ● Blood test ● Urinalysis ● Imaging Test ● Liver biopsy These test methods can determine the level of bilirubin in the bloodstream, inflammations in the liver, bile duct, etc.

●

Blood Tests ● ● ●

The test is taken without having food or medications for 5 hours before the test is performed.

Test is performed by using small amount of blood.

Blood is taken by a needle and it stored in a test tube.

The blood test gives the results like, ● Level of common blood count (CBC) ● Level of direct & total bilirubin ● Liver functions ● Lipase & amylase level to diagnose pancreas

●

Urinalysis This test uses small amount of urine and it is useful to check the amount of bilirubin.

●

Imaging Tests ●

●

● ● ●

Ultrasound - It uses soundwaves to check the liver, gallbladder and pancreas. Ultrasound can detect gallstones and dilated bile ducts. It can also identifies the abnormalities of liver and pancreas.

Computerized Tomography (CT Scan) - CT Scan is able to provide detailed information about abdominal organs. It can check the irregularities of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) - MRI gives the details about bile duct and other abdominal organs.

HIDA - It uses radioactive substance to diagnose the bile duct & gallbladder.

ERCP - An endoscope passes through the mouth to small intestine. It takes the details about gallbladder and bile duct.

●

Liver Biopsy ●

●

In liver biopsy, a needle is injected into the liver after giving an anesthesia. A small sample to live tissue is taken and sent to laboratory for diagnosis by a pathologist.

Liver biopsy is helpful for determining inflammation of the liver, cirrhosis, and cancer.

Normal Results of Bilirubin Blood Test In an adult, normal values of direct bilirubin are from 0-0.4 mg/dL. Normal values of total bilirubin are from 0.3-1.0 mg/dL.

Self Care At Home For Jaundice ● ● ●

Drink adequate water and take rest.

Take medications or supplements only by the prescription of physician.

Avoid drinking alcohol and drugs.

Medications For Jaundice ● ●

Medications may not be necessary for all cases.

Doctors will suggest medicines if it is needed.

About DDRC SRL Diagnostic Services DDRC SRL medical diagnostic centre dedicated in world-class professional diagnostic services, started its operations in 1983 at Kochi, Kerala. They put all the efforts to make the medical testing service efficient, accurate and affordable to all the customers.

DDRC SRL provides various medical diagnostic facilities like imaging tests, pathology services, radiology test, blood test, biopsy check up, etc for their patients. They invest heavily in infrastructure, create right ambiance and comforts for the customers and staffs. They also make sure to provide the best diagnostic lab facilities to the patients.

Address, DDRC SRL Tower, Panampilly Nagar Ernakulam,Kerala Pin:682036.

Contact, Test & Report Enquiries:0484 4277111, 9446508300

Thank You