Almost every visit to a health provider, results in a bilirubin test to make sure that it is in a normal range. Newborns are tested right way for bilirubin levels which are often high at birth and then correct on their own.
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that happens when red blood cells are being broken down in the right way in your liver. When bilirubin levels are high, more than 2.5 milligrams per deciliter, it is a signal that the liver is struggling. It can mean that there is liver problems and it can also mean that there is another disease that is hampering the liver’s ability to function at peak performance.
Whatever the cause, the sign of a high bilirubin is a condition called jaundice in which the skin and the white area of the eye turn yellow.