Bilirubin:- Part 2 – Conjugated, Direct Bilirubin (Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia)
- This test is done in the serum of the patient.
- A random sample can be taken.
- This is ideal if the patient has nothing except water 4 to 8 hours before the sample.
- The sample is stable at 4 °C for 3 days.
- Protect the sample from the light because bilirubin is photo-oxidized (photosensitive).
- Avoid hemolysis and lipemic serum, which will give a false result.
- Avoid drugs that will increase the total bilirubin level like:
- Anabolic steroids.
- Antimalarial drugs.
- Antihypertensive drug-like methyldopa.
- Oral contraceptives.
- Antituberculous drugs like rifampin.
- Medications that will decrease the bilirubin level are:
- Exposure of the sample to sunlight or ultraviolet light may decrease the level.
- Bilirubin is yellow to the green pigment of bile derived from the porphyrin structure of hemoglobin.
- Excessive bilirubin within cells and the tissue causes jaundice (Icterus) or yellowness of the skin.
- Hyperbilirubinemia is caused by:
- Destruction of the RBCs like hemolytic jaundice.
- Diseases affecting the metabolism and excretion of bilirubin in the liver.
- Obstruction like gall stones or pancreatic tumors and certain drugs like:
- Chlorpromazine and phenothiazine derivatives.
- Estrogen hormones.
- Halothane anesthetic drugs.
- Bilirubin estimation is one of the liver function tests.
- It is raised in the hepatic and post-hepatic types of jaundice.
- Clinically jaundice appears when the level of bilirubin is more than 2 mg/dl.
- Direct (or conjugated) bilirubin. Direct bilirubin dissolves in water (water-soluble) and is synthesized in the liver from indirect bilirubin.
- Total bilirubin = 0.3 to1.0 mg/dL or 5.1 to 17.0 mmol/L
- Direct bilirubin = 0.1 to 0.3 mg/dL or 1.0 to 5.1 mmol/L
- Indirect bilirubin (total bilirubin minus direct bilirubin level) = 0.2–0.7 mg/dL
Another source Total bilirubin level
|Age||Premature mg/dL||Full-term mg/dL||Adult mg/dL|
|Cord blood||<2 mg||<2.0|
|0 to 1 day||<8.0||1.4 to 8.7|
|1 to 2 days||<12.0||3.4 to 11.5|
|3 to 5 days||<16.0||1.5 to 12.0|
|5 days to 60 years||0.3 to 1.2|
|60 to 90 year||0.2 to 1.1|
|>90 year||0.2 to 0.9|
Raised level of direct bilirubin is seen in:
- Gallbladder tumors.
- Inflammatory scarring or obstruction of extrahepatic ducts.
- Extensive liver metastasis.
- Dubin-Johnson syndrome.
- Rotor syndrome.
- Drugs may cause cholestasis.
Raised direct and indirect bilirubin is seen in:
- Hepatocellular disease.
- Hepatitis (viral disease).
- Dubon-Johnson syndrome.
Panic value needs action are:
- Total bilirubin infants >15 mg/dL will require phototherapy.
- Total bilirubin in infants >20 mg/dL require blood transfusion.
- Untreated infants will get kernicterus and may lead to permanent brain damage.
Please see more details on bilirubin Total part 1.