Clinical Significance

CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE

Differential diagnosis of jaundice

  • Determination of bilirubin is of great importance in the differential diagnosis of jaundice.
  • The following types of jaundice are differentiated according to the concentration of conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin in serum:
    • Hemolytic (prehepatic) jaundice characterized by enhanced hemoglobin breakdown with normal liver function;
    • Hepatic (parenchymatous) jaundice due to hepatocyte lesion. Conjugated bilirubin cannot be secreted to biliary capillaries but reenters the blood instead.
    • Obstructive (posthepatic) jaundice due to intra- or extrahepatic biliary duct obstruction; and
    • Functional jaundice due to changes in the intracellular metabolism of bilirubin.
Last modified: Saturday, 26 November 2011, 6:48 AM