Disease Insights: hyperbilirubinemia
Welcome to the ultimate guide on hyperbilirubinemia. Here, you'll find answers to the most common questions to help you or your loved ones understand and manage this condition better.
Description for hyperbilirubinemia
An excess of bilirubin in the blood, often causing jaundice.
Symptoms of hyperbilirubinemia
abdominal pain, dark urine, fatigue, jaundice, pale stool
Precautions for hyperbilirubinemia
Monitor liver function regularly, Avoid alcohol and certain medicati, Follow a low-fat diet, Stay hydrated
Questions Covered:
- what is hyperbilirubinemia?
- causes of hyperbilirubinemia?
- What are the usual symptoms of hyperbilirubinemia?
Answers:
Question: what is hyperbilirubinemia?
Many newborns naturally ' and temporarily ' have elevated blood levels of bilirubin. In adults, high bilirubin may indicate health conditions such as gallstones or liver issues. It may occur with jaundice.
Bilirubin is a yellowish substance in your blood. It forms after red blood cells break down and travel through your liver, gallbladder, and digestive tract before excretion.
The condition of having high bilirubin levels is called hyperbilirubinemia. It's usually a sign of an underlying condition, so following up with a doctor is essential if test results show you have high bilirubin.
It's also a common temporary condition in newborns.
Read on to learn more about the symptoms of high bilirubin and what can cause it.
Question: causes of hyperbilirubinemia?
Having high bilirubin can be a sign of several conditions. Your doctor will take your symptoms, as well as any other test results, into account to help narrow down a diagnosis.
Gallstones: These develop when substances like cholesterol or bilirubin harden in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder stores bile, a digestive fluid that helps break down fats before they enter your intestines.
Gilbert's syndrome: This is a genetic liver condition that causes your liver not to process bilirubin properly. This causes the bilirubin to build up in your bloodstream.
Liver dysfunction: This can be any condition that affects the function of your liver and causes bilirubin to build up in your blood. This is a result of your liver losing its ability to remove and process bilirubin from your bloodstream. Examples include cirrhosis, liver cancer, or autoimmune hepatitis.
Hepatitis: This happens when your liver becomes inflamed, often due to a viral infection. When it's inflamed, your liver can't easily process bilirubin, leading to a buildup of it in your blood.
Bile duct obstruction: Bile ducts connect your liver to your gallbladder and the opening of your small intestine, called the duodenum. They help to move bile, which contains bilirubin, from your liver and gallbladder into your intestines. Bile can't be drained adequately if these ducts become inflamed or blocked. This can lead to an increased level of bilirubin.
Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy: This is a temporary condition during the last trimester of pregnancy. It causes bile drainage from your liver to either slow down or stop entirely. This makes it harder for your liver to process bilirubin from your blood, leading to high bilirubin levels.
Hemolytic anemia: This happens when blood cells break down too quickly in your bloodstream. It's sometimes passed down genetically, but autoimmune conditions, an enlarged spleen, or an infection can also cause it.
Bilirubin levels in newborns
Many babies have high bilirubin a few days after birth, causing newborn jaundice. This temporary condition usually resolves on its own within a few weeks.
It happens because newborns have more red blood cells and break them down more quickly, but their livers are not developed enough to keep up.
Before being born, the pregnant person's liver helps with this task. A newborn's liver is only about 1%
as active as an adult's.
In most cases, higher bilirubin levels will lead to jaundice between 1 and 3 days after birth. Bilirubin levels can peak as high as 18 mg/dL on the fourth or fifth day, and jaundice typically clears up within 2 weeks as the liver matures.
Feeding 8 to 12 times per day helps to promote regular bowel movements, which help to remove bilirubin from the body.
If jaundice occurs within the first 24 hours after birth, or if bilirubin levels are especially high or don't begin to fall on their own, doctors may intervene with treatments such as:
phototherapy
intravenous immunoglobulin treatment
exchange transfusion
Question: What are the usual symptoms of hyperbilirubinemia?
If you have high bilirubin, your symptoms will depend on the underlying cause. You can have mildly high bilirubin and have no symptoms at all.
With moderately high bilirubin, you may only have jaundice, which is a yellowish color in your eyes and skin. Jaundice is the main sign of high bilirubin levels.
Other general signs of illnesses that cause high bilirubin can include:
abdominal pain or swelling
chills
fever
chest pain
weakness
lightheadedness
fatigue
nausea
vomiting
unusually dark urine
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Conclusion & Takeaways
Learning about hyperbilirubinemia is the first step toward taking control of your health. By understanding its causes, symptoms, and treatments, you empower yourself to make informed decisions. Remember to consult healthcare professionals for personalized advice and support.