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Gastroenterology (Expert Forum)
What does this elevated bilirubin mean????
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What does this elevated bilirubin mean????
by Troy, Dec 01, 1999 12:00AM
I am a healthy 34 year old white male, no smoking ever in my life but did have some alcohol usage in younger years. In 1995, I had a work physical that came back with an elevated bilirubin(total) of 2.2.....range .2-1.2. Also in this blood test my total protein was 8.3.....range of 6.4-8.2 and my albumin was 5.2......range of 3.8-5.0. I really never thought to much about it since I am not a medical person so I just let it go and never went back for follow up. Now, I had another work physical done last week and once again, elevated bilirubin. This time it was 3.05 with the same range as above. On this test....everything else was normal this time SGOT was 17 and alk phos was 68. They did not do an AST or GGT this time but did the first time in 1995 and those were both well in the normal range. I feel fine, no problems that I am aware of . But now, I am married to a Registered nurse and she is freaking out over this.....she thinks I have a liver ailment!!!!! Could someone please help me out on this??????? I will be glad to go to the doctor for more testing if needed but I dont want to waste a bunch of money if nothing is majorly wrong. Thanks for your time........
Doctor's Answer
by HFHSm.D.-Gastro-rf, Dec 19, 1999 12:00AM
Dear Troy, It is difficult to know the cause of your elevated bilirubin without doing additional tests. However, if all the other liver tests are normal, it is possible that you have a condition called gilbert's disease. In this condition, which occurs in 5% of the population, there is an isolated increase in bilirubin. The disease does not progress and is not associated with other liver conditions.
In addition to Gilbert's disease, it is also necessary to consider hemolysis- premature breakdown of the red cells. This condition can have many different causes.
If your wife is concerned, a doctors visit with a few blood tests should provide indications whether there is a cause for anxiety.
In addition to Gilbert's disease, it is also necessary to consider hemolysis- premature breakdown of the red cells. This condition can have many different causes.
If your wife is concerned, a doctors visit with a few blood tests should provide indications whether there is a cause for anxiety.
Best of luck..
fair blood test a few months after having a baby and found that
I had an elivated bili ruben, about the same as yours. Funny
thing is that my baby was born with a VERY high bili ruben that
required a 4-day hospital stay in an incubator under 5 sets of
lights to bring down to a safe range. I told my OBGYN about it
and he didn't seem to be all that worried. He did refer me to a
Gastro-doctor who diagnosed me with Gilberts Syndrome - although
he never did any tests to confirm it. He basically said that it
was probably just normal for me and no big deal. I have always
wondered if there is any relationship between that high bili
ruben and the gastro-problems that I have (irritable bowel, heart
burn - acid reflux, gas, etc.) Did you ever get a response to
your question posted here?
Thanks in advance.
I would like to ask something, I have just gone for full blood test and the results came back normal. I was a bit worried as my Platelets level was slightly low 111 and my Bilirublin level was very slightly high 2.1 , is this something to be concerned about, I have been on the Dinette for 7 years could that be why my level was high. I am also not yellow or suffer from pain in my stomach or anything. My Dr. recommend I go for a Sona of the Pelvis. Is this necessary as my level was only very slightly raised. I really feel that this is not necessary.
I also take Garlic tables and imagine that is why my Platelets level is low. I thought was good as I would rather have thick blood then thick blood. I don’t smoke or drink and there is no liver disease in my family. I dont drink i dont smoke i am not overweight.
I am twenty two yeras old and I was diagnosed with gilberts syndrome 7 years ago. My last blood test should that my level of bilirubin was 88. I have talked to many people who have gilberts, but they normally have 44, 46 50 bilirubin. The reason
I am writing is because I have constant pain somewhere underneath my rib cage. I am just wondering what this could be and if you know if there are any ways of lowering my bilirubin level. Thanx.