Tell me about bilirubin.....

Produced as early as the 12th week of pregnancy
Produced throughout your lifetime

 

Derived from hemoglobin
Destroyed Red Blood Cells release the “heme” molecule
A by-product of red blood cell (RBC) destruction
In essence, a waste product

 

“Heme” is 1st changed into belverdin and then into bilirubin
This extra-hepatic bilirubin is bound to serum albumin and delivered to the liver
Once in the liver, a series of chemical reactions change bilirubin from a fat-soluble to a water-soluble product
Water-soluble bilirubin is excreted into the bile system for transport to and excretion from the GI tract and kidneys

 

75-85 % of the bilirubin produced daily is from RBC destruction
1 gm of hemoglobin = 34-35 mg bilirubin

 

Bilirubin is expressed as a numeric value--milligrams (mg) per 100 milliliters (mL) of blood  [e.g.  5 mg/100ml or 5 mg/dL (deciliter)].
It may also be abbreviated as a percent (5 mg%)

 
Produced at a rate of 6-10 mg of bilirubin/kg/day in the newborn
7 lb. infant (3.175 kg) = 19-31.75 mg/day of bilirubin
1 lb. Infant (.0454 kg) = 0.27-0.45 mg/day of bilirubin

 

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