Bilirubin is a pigment found in bile that helps digest fats. It has two forms: direct and indirect. Indirect bilirubin is produced when old red blood cells break down, while direct bilirubin is formed in the liver and excreted through feces and urine. Imbalanced bilirubin levels can cause jaundice.
Bilirubin is a brownish-yellow pigment found in bile, which is a fluid secreted by the liver that allows the body to digest fats. There are two forms: direct and indirect. Direct bilirubin is often referred to as conjugated bilirubin, while indirect bilirubin is known as unconjugated bilirubin. The difference between them is that direct bilirubin is water soluble which means it can be dissolved in water and indirect bilirubin cannot.
The direct production of bilirubin is the final step in a complex chain of events that occurs as the body gets rid of the waste products left behind by old red blood cells. During the first stage, indirect bilirubin is produced within certain cell types that reside in the bone marrow, liver, and spleen. This happens when red blood cells reach the end of their life cycle and start breaking down into their component parts. One of these component parts, heme, a reddish pigment, is further broken down to produce indirect bilirubin.
The newly formed indirect bilirubin is then transported to the liver via water-soluble proteins known as albumin. In the liver, it becomes water soluble when it reacts with a sugar compound known as glucuronic acid. Once this occurs, direct bilirubin is formed. As soon as it becomes soluble in water, the body prepares to remove it from the body.
Subsequently, the bilirubin is mixed with bile and transferred from the liver to the intestines and gallbladder. At this point, it is broken down into two of its component parts, known as stercobilin and urobilinogen. Stercobilin combines with other waste materials in the intestines and is excreted as part of the fecal matter. The urobilinogen is transported to the kidneys, where it becomes part of the waste products that are excreted with the body’s urine.
There are several conditions that can occur when bilirubin levels in the body become imbalanced. Jaundice, which can turn the skin yellow, is a condition that occurs when bilirubin is produced at a faster rate than it is excreted by the liver. This can happen when too much is produced or if the liver is unable to excrete it due to some malfunction. In some cases, the bile ducts, which are tubes that carry bile away from the liver, can become blocked, causing the problem.
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