What causes elevated direct bilirubin?
Disease description:
At the beginning of this year, I went to the hospital for a checkup and the doctor told me my bilirubin level was high. I would like to consult: what causes elevated direct bilirubin?
Doctor's answer (1)
Dr. Zhao Haiming
Direct bilirubin is also known as conjugated bilirubin. Unconjugated bilirubin is converted within hepatocytes by conjugation with glucuronic acid to form conjugated bilirubin. Conjugated bilirubin gives a direct reaction in the Van den Bergh qualitative test, hence this form of bilirubin is referred to as direct bilirubin. Measurement of direct bilirubin is primarily used for differentiating types of jaundice. Elevated serum direct bilirubin suggests an impairment in the hepatic processing and subsequent excretion of bilirubin into the biliary tract.
