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Current Concepts on Bilirubin Metabolism and Gilbert’s Syndrome

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Clinical Hepatology

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Abstract

Bilirubin is a waste product of haem catabolism; it constitutes, together with its derivatives, the main pigment in mammalian bile. The formation of bilirubin therefore reflects the continuing turnover of haem and haemoproteins such as haemoglobin, myoglobin and cytochromes. Small amounts of bilirubin are present in normal serum and are increased in some haematological and liver disorders. The relatively low serum bilirubin concentration observed in healthy persons (0.2–0.9 mg/100ml) represents a balance between the production and the hepatic clearance of bilirubin. Increased bilirubin production or its impaired handling in the liver are manifested by hyperbilirubinaemia. Yellow coloration of the sclerae, oral mucosa and skin will appear when the serum bilirubin concentration is about 2.5 mg/100 ml or more. Hyperbilirubinaemia is of considerable clinical and pathophysiological interest as a manifestation of a variety of inherited and acquired disorders of the liver and red cells.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Istituto Clinica Medica 1 a, Università di Padova, Padua, Italy

    L. Okolicsanyi

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  1. L. Okolicsanyi
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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Clinical Research, Heimhuder Straße 46, D-2000, Hamburg 13, Germany

    Géza Csomós M.D.

  2. School of Medicine, University of Vienna, Austria

    Heribert Thaler M.D. (Assoc. Professor, Head of the 4th Medical Department) (Assoc. Professor, Head of the 4th Medical Department)

  3. Wilhelminenspital of the City of Vienna, 16, Montlearstraße 37, A-1171, Vienna, Austria

    Heribert Thaler M.D. (Assoc. Professor, Head of the 4th Medical Department) (Assoc. Professor, Head of the 4th Medical Department)

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© 1983 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Okolicsanyi, L. (1983). Current Concepts on Bilirubin Metabolism and Gilbert’s Syndrome. In: Csomós, G., Thaler, H. (eds) Clinical Hepatology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68748-8_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-68748-8_6

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-68750-1

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-68748-8

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