Word Finder - bilirubin

definition

A bile pigment that is a product of the breakdown of the heme portion of hemoglobin (which occurs within macrophages as they digest red blood cells), and which is responsible for the yellowish color seen in bruises. Extremely high levels of bilirubin may cause jaundice.

As conjugated bilirubin is water-soluble it will be excreted in the urine which becomes dark.

Haematoidin in normal metabolism is largely excreted by the liver in the form of bilirubin.

In hepatogenous pigmentation (icterus or jaundice) we have the iron-free pigment modified and transformed by the action of the liver cells into bile pigment (bilirubin).

Ten days post-transfusion she developed cramps, a raised bilirubin, falling Hb and a positive DAT (IgG ).

Jaundice is caused by too much of a yellow substance called bilirubin building up in the body.

Thirty patients at moderate risk of CBD stones (moderately increased bilirubin, normal CBD) underwent IOC.

The jaundice is deep with itchy skin, pale stools and dark urine containing bilirubin but no urobilinogen.

Jaundice is common in newborns as the liver is not sufficiently developed to efficiently remove bilirubin.

Normal lab values and when to change Total bilirubin (normal range) 3 -- 17 mmol/l.

Therefore, any failure of the bilirubin removal pathway will lead to a build-up of bilirubin in the blood.

In these situations the hepatocellular function is normal but overwhelmed and so the increased bilirubin is for the most part unconjugated.

Elevation of total bilirubin was more significantly suppressed in the PG group than in the control group.

Baseline elevations of several liver function tests (especially elevated bilirubin) should preclude the use of riluzole (see section 4.8 ).

Hepatocellular function is normal (although it may deteriorate in prolonged obstruction) so the excess plasma bilirubin is chiefly conjugated.

When this occurs, the changed bilirubin appears in the urine and turns the urine brown.

At 14.25 hours the serum bilirubin test showed raised bilirubin test showed raised bilirubin and it was decided to give phototherapy, which was commenced at 16.00 hours.

All the liver tests should be normal apart from the serum bilirubin, which is increased.

Transient moderate elevations of ASAT, ALAT and alkaline phosphatases and/or bilirubin have been reported.

Routine blood tests revealed abnormal liver function tests in the form of raised alkaline phosphatase, AST, ALT and normal bilirubin.

Forty patients at high risk of CBD stones (increased bilirubin, increased alkaline phosphatase and a dilated CBD) underwent preoperative ERCP.

Elevated bilirubin, alanine transaminase and lactate dehydrogenase concentrations are indicative of hepatocellular injury.

Bile is a liquid mixture of cholesterol, bile salts, and waste products, including bilirubin, which the liver excretes through thousands of tiny biliary ducts to the intestine, where the bile aids in the digestive process of dietary fats.

The major pigment in bile is a chemical called bilirubin, which is yellow.

Bilirubin is a breakdown product of hemoglobin (the red chemical in blood that carries oxygen).

If the body accumulates an excess of bilirubin, it turns yellow (jaundiced).

The infant has yellow eyes and skin and dark yellow or brown urine due to build-up of bilirubin, and the stools are probably light-colored.

Jaundice-A condition in which the skin and whites of the eyes take on a yellowish color due to an increase of bilirubin (a compound produced by the liver) in the blood.

Neonatal jaundice is the term used when a newborn has an excessive amount of bilirubin in the blood.

Bilirubin is a yellowish-red pigment that is formed and released into the bloodstream when red blood cells are broken down.

Jaundice comes from the French word jaune, which means yellow; thus a jaundiced baby is one whose skin color appears yellow due to bilirubin.

Normally, small amounts of bilirubin are found in everyone's blood.

When too much bilirubin is made, the excess is discarded into the bloodstream and deposited in tissues for temporary storage.

In the neonate, however, there is more bilirubin than can be handled due to immature liver functioning and extra red blood cells that break down.

Thus, the extra bilirubin remains in the tissues.

Infants of East Asian and Native American descent have higher levels of bilirubin than white infants, who in turn have higher bilirubin levels than infants of African descent.

First, infants have too many red blood cells and it is a natural process for the body to break down these excess red blood cells to form a large amount of bilirubin.

It is this bilirubin that causes the skin to take on a yellowish color.

Second, the newborn's liver is immature and cannot process bilirubin as quickly as the infant will be able to when older.

This slow processing of bilirubin has nothing to do with liver disease.

It merely means that the baby's liver is not as fully developed as it will be; thus, there is some delay in eliminating the bilirubin.

It is also possible for jaundice to appear in infants with physical defects in the organs that work to eliminate bilirubin from the body.

As the excess bilirubin builds up in the newborn, jaundice appears first in the face and upper body and progresses downward toward the toes.

Jaundice can be observed with the naked eye, but it is too difficult to estimate the variation in levels of bilirubin in that manner.

Thus, if an infant begins to appear jaundiced, bilirubin levels will be ordered to determine the severity.

Jaundice usually becomes apparent when total bilirubin levels exceed 5 mg/dL; however, the clinical significance of bilirubin levels depends on postnatal age in hours.

A bilirubin level of 12 mg/dL may be pathologic in an infant younger than 48 hours but is benign in an infant older than 72 hours.

Light at this wavelength converts bilirubin to a water-soluble form that can be excreted in the bile or urine.

Since phototherapy acts by altering the bilirubin that is deposited in the tissue, the area of the skin exposed to phototherapy should be maximized.

Infants receiving home phototherapy need daily visits by a nurse, who performs a physical examination and measures the total serum bilirubin level.

If bilirubin levels continue to rise, hospital readmission should be considered.