2023-04-22 10:11:21
Due to several factors, you may have low total bilirubin. But is this bad for our health?
Your tests revealed low total bilirubin. How to interpret this result? Should we be worried? What is bilirubin? What are the causes of a low rate? What are the possible symptoms? How to react ?
Low total bilirubin: here’s everything you need to know.
What is bilirubin?
He is quite normal to have bilirubin in the body. However, it must respect a certain quantity. In case of doubt, the doctor prescribes a control to determine the bilirubinemia.
Definition
Bilirubin is a yellow, water-insoluble pigment (free bilirubin). Very present in bile, we better understand the bright yellow color of it.
Bilirubin comes directly from the breakdown of hemoglobin. A completely normal stage in the life of red blood cells. Produced in the cells of the spleen and bone marrow, it is then transported to the liver by albumin. An essential protein for transporting blood through the body.
Arrival in the liver, it is conjugated with gluconic acid. This allows it to become soluble in water. This is called conjugated bilirubin. She is the one who gives this brown color to our stools.
Analyses
One of the most common signs is sallowness. At this time, the doctor prescribes a blood test to assess the bilirubinemia.
Before the blood test, the doctor recommends:
- to be fasting for at least 4 hours;
- to stop taking certain medications.
Be careful, do not take the decision to stop treatment alone. Discuss this with your healthcare professional and/or the laboratory.
Total bilirubin level
This rate includes the addition of the rate of free and conjugated bilirubins. This must be between 3 and 10 mg/L of blood:
- 2 to 7 mg/L of free bilirubin blood;
- 1 to 3 mg/L of conjugated bilirubin blood.
Some physiological variations lead to different results. In the early stages of life, infants do not have the same rate as adults. In addition, men often have a higher rate than women.
What causes low bilirubin?
It is quite rare to notice a low level of bilirubin. Most of the time, this is too high and reveals in particular a dysfunction of the liver. But let’s see what can lower blood bilirubin.
The pregnancy
During the first 2 trimesters of pregnancy, it is common to see the level of bilirubin in the blood decrease. This does not mean that there is a pathology.
Medication
Some medications can interfere with blood test results. This is why it is often recommended to stop your treatment before doing your analyses.
Gilbert’s Syndrome
This genetic disease is characterized by insufficient breakdown and elimination of bilirubin. Thus, serum bilirubin can be either too high or too low.
This phenomenon is due to the dysfunction of glucuronosyl-transferase. A liver enzyme that does not perform its role correctly.
This syndrome is not serious for health. The best thing is to adopt a healthy lifestyle:
You don’t have any medication. You just need to monitor the bilirubin level regularly.
What are the symptoms when total bilirubin is low?
Often, patients who have low bilirubin discover it on a completely different examination. There are not always predominant symptoms. Moreover, it has little influence on your daily life unless it presents inconveniences.
Possible symptoms are similar to those of high bilirubin:
- fatigue : the body fights once morest dysfunctions;
- nausea ;
- abdominal pain ;
- yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes : because of the pigment.
If you have one or more of these symptoms, seek medical attention promptly.
What to do in case of low total bilirubin?
Once your tests are done, go to the doctor to interpret your results.
In the case of low total bilirubin, you don’t have to worry too much. Indeed, theThe consequences are not too serious. You just have to follow the evolution and pay attention to possible new symptoms. In the case of Gilbert’s syndrome, the results may vary upwards.
The best remains maintain a healthy lifestyle to stay fit and healthy.
Low total bilirubin: what to remember
Very often, a low bilirubin level does not pose much of a problem in daily life. You don’t really have any symptoms showing up and it doesn’t affect your health.
If your exams show an anomaly in the results, consult your doctor so that he can give you the right advice to follow. A few adjustments in your lifestyle are enough to keep you in top shape.
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