What is the Meaning & Definition of bilirubin
Bilirubin is a substance that occurs during the process of degradation of hemoglobin, this takes place in structures such as the bone marrow, spleen and liver once red blood cells reach their maximum life that is about 120 days. Elaborate once you reach the liver, where it is released by bile duct being stored in the gallbladder in where it remained until the moment in which the food intake stimulates contraction of gallbladder with bilirubin happens inside the intestine at the level of the duodenum.
Once in the digestive tract, bilirubin is converted into urobilinogen, a part of this becomes coprobilina by action of the bacterial flora and remains in the intestine, being responsible for the characteristic colour to the stool. Another portion of the bowel urobilinogen is absorbed into the blood by eliminating in the urine in the form of urobilin, which is the pigment that gives urine its yellow.
Diseases of the liver. Bilirubin levels rise when the liver affected its function of elimination of toxins, what happens when there is obstruction of the bile ducts or when there is an alteration of the normal architecture of the liver, either by inflammation as in the case of hepatitis or by damage to its structure as it occurs in liver cirrhosis.
Diseases of the blood. The bilirubin rises when an increase in the removal of red blood cells which occurs subsequent to a hematoma or hemorrhage, as well as in some hemolytic anemias in which occurs a destruction of these cells from autoimmune diseases; You can also be the effect of some medicines.
Blood incompatibility. In the newborn babies whose mother and father are of different blood groups can occur that the baby and the mother have different blood groups thus giving rise to a phenomenon known as blood incompatibility, which can be of two types ABO and Rh, in this case it is possible that the mother's antibodies destroy the red blood cells of the baby as strangers , with resulting neonatal jaundice which may warrant the replacement of blood of the newborn.
Once in the digestive tract, bilirubin is converted into urobilinogen, a part of this becomes coprobilina by action of the bacterial flora and remains in the intestine, being responsible for the characteristic colour to the stool. Another portion of the bowel urobilinogen is absorbed into the blood by eliminating in the urine in the form of urobilin, which is the pigment that gives urine its yellow.
Bilirubin allows to evaluate the function of the liver
The determination of the levels of bilirubin in the blood has a great utility to diagnose diseases that affect the liver or blood. A condition known as jaundice, characterized by a yellowing of the skin and mucous membranes occurs when bilirubin blood levels rise.Diseases of the liver. Bilirubin levels rise when the liver affected its function of elimination of toxins, what happens when there is obstruction of the bile ducts or when there is an alteration of the normal architecture of the liver, either by inflammation as in the case of hepatitis or by damage to its structure as it occurs in liver cirrhosis.
Diseases of the blood. The bilirubin rises when an increase in the removal of red blood cells which occurs subsequent to a hematoma or hemorrhage, as well as in some hemolytic anemias in which occurs a destruction of these cells from autoimmune diseases; You can also be the effect of some medicines.
Blood incompatibility. In the newborn babies whose mother and father are of different blood groups can occur that the baby and the mother have different blood groups thus giving rise to a phenomenon known as blood incompatibility, which can be of two types ABO and Rh, in this case it is possible that the mother's antibodies destroy the red blood cells of the baby as strangers , with resulting neonatal jaundice which may warrant the replacement of blood of the newborn.