Our bodies have a natural way of cleaning themselves. One among them is breaking down old red blood cells.
Everything has an expiry, and red blood cells are no exception. When they die, the Haemoglobin, which is rich in iron, is broken down, and the iron is transported to the bone marrow to create new red blood cells. And this process goes on. And on.
Now, what happens to the leftover Haemoglobin? That is where Bilirubin comes in. The leftovers form the basis of Bilirubin, a yellowish substance found in bile. And a healthy liver would have no trouble getting rid of most of it from our body.
Ever wondered why our faeces and urine have a tinge of brownish-yellow in them? That’s the Bilirubin leaving our bodies!
You can check your Bilirubin level through a blood test.
For a healthy person, the total Bilirubin count ranges from 0.1 to 1.2 mg/dL (Milligrams per decilitre).
If your Bilirubin count exceeds 1.2 mg/dL, it means there is too much of it in your body. Pretty straightforward.
The condition is called hyperbilirubinemia and usually indicates something wrong with your liver, gallbladder or bile ducts.
One thing we should keep in mind is, high Bilirubin is not responsible for causing liver damage or other conditions. Instead, it is the other way around. So the first and most common course of action is to find the root cause and treat it.
That said, here are a few reasons behind a high Bilirubin count.
Jaundice, the yellowing of skin and eyes, is the most common symptom of high Bilirubin.
Other than that, a few other indicators could be
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is the best thing to do. For that,
But remember, if you encounter any symptoms mentioned above, don’t say, “I’ll be fine”, and walk away. You will definitely be fine. But for that, you have to go to the liver specialist hospital in Pune at the right time.
