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Save Preferences. Privacy Policy Terms of Use. Twitter Facebook. This Issue. Views , Citations 3. View Metrics. August Article Information. What Causes Hyperbilirubinemia? What Are the Other Symptoms of Hyperbilirubinemia? What Cancers Can Cause Hyperbilirubinemia? What Is the Workup for Jaundice? The information and recommendations appearing on this page are appropriate in most instances, but they are not a substitute for medical diagnosis. For specific information concerning your personal medical condition, JAMA Oncology suggests that you consult your physician.
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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. Or, with moderately high bilirubin, you may only have jaundice, a yellow cast to your eyes and skin.
Jaundice is the main sign of high bilirubin levels. 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 happen when substances like cholesterol or bilirubin harden in your gallbladder. Your gallbladder is responsible for storing bile, a digestive fluid that helps break down fats before they enter your intestines. They can also be a complication of an infection of your bile ducts or from a blood disorder. This causes it to build up in your blood stream. Any condition that affects the function of your liver can cause 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. Hepatitis happens when your liver gets inflamed, often due to a viral infection. Your bile ducts connect your liver to your gallbladder 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. This can lead to an increased level of bilirubin. Intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy is a temporary condition that can happen 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 happens when blood cells break down too quickly in your bloodstream.
But if you notice any of the following symptoms, call your doctor or head to urgent care just in case:. Reviewed by: Mary L. Gavin, MD. Larger text size Large text size Regular text size. What Is Jaundice? Most types of jaundice go away on their own. Others need treatment to lower bilirubin levels. Call the doctor if your baby: starts to look or act sick is not feeding well is sleepier than usual has jaundice that gets worse What Causes Jaundice in Newborns?
A baby is more likely to get jaundice when he or she: is born premature. Premature babies are even less ready to remove bilirubin. They also can have problems at lower bilirubin levels than babies born later. Doctors treat them sooner. This often happens in the first few days of life, because a mother's milk isn't in yet or the baby is having trouble breastfeeding.
If a baby has this type of jaundice called breastfeeding jaundice , it's best to feed more often. A breastfeeding lactation consultant can help.
Breast milk prevents the liver from quickly removing bilirubin. This is called breast milk jaundice and happens after the first week of life. Bilirubin levels slowly improve over 3—12 weeks. If mother and baby have different blood types, the mother's body makes antibodies that attack the baby's red blood cells. This happens when: the mother's blood type is O and the baby's blood type is A or B ABO incompatibility or the mother's Rh factor a protein found on red blood cells is negative and the baby is Rh positive.
Red blood cells break down more easily in health problems like hereditary spherocytosis and G6PD deficiency. How Is Jaundice Treated?
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