How to lower my bilirubin count?

May 8, 2013

Bilirubin is a substance that is present in the blood. When the red blood cells die parts of the cells are broken down either to be used once again or are excreted. Bilirubin is the part that is used once again for the purpose of digestion. Bilirubin is recycled in the liver where it gets converted into bile. The bile is then mixes with some bacteria and turns dark yellow in color or looks like clay. This is the why the human feces is the color it is. If the liver has an infection or is damaged in any way then the bilirubin is not excreted by the liver instead it is excreted by the kidneys in the urine.

If the levels of bilirubin have increased in your body, it points out to the fact that the red blood cells are getting destroyed too quickly or there is a problem with your liver. This means that there is a lot of bilirubin being formed and not enough has been excreted. The liver of a premature infant is not strong enough and hence it does not eliminate the required amount of bilirubin from the blood. Hence they are more likely to develop jaundice than full term babies. Hence a person who has high levels of bilirubin may appear to have jaundice and his skin and the whites of his eyes look yellow in color.

There are a lot of home remedies you could try in order to prevent and lower your bilirubin levels. Some of these are:

  • Have plenty of fruit juices and drink a lot of fresh vegetable juices.
  • Try and avoid food that has a lot of fat and oil in it. Stick to a simple light or liquid diet.
  • Avoid eating non-vegetarian food for a while.
  • Drink a lot of fresh, clean and boiled water
  • Avoid having Tobacco and Alcohol as they put a lot of strain on the liver.
  • Ensure that your diet is rich in Vitamin C and B complex.
  • Chew sugarcane couple of times a day as it plays the role of a diuretic and hence cleans the urine.
  • A juice prepared by mixing pure honey, neem leaves and black pepper powder is to be consumed in the morning and evening.
  • Have plenty of Barley water.
  • You can also try having 1 spoonful olive oil every 6 hours as it helps lower the bilirubin level.

Submitted by M T on May 8, 2013 at 01:48

What is a normal bilirubin count in infants or newborns?

Bilirubin is an enzyme that is released by the liver when it breaks down red blood cells. The normal bilirubin range will differ depending on how old the child is and also if the baby is a premature baby or a normal baby. The normal range for a newborn in the first 24 hours will be less than 8.0mg/dL and this will keep increasing till it reaches a little less than 15.omg/dL as the child grows to around 7days of age. This is true for children who are born pre mature. For those with a normal birth the levels of bilirubin differ slightly. The newborn's normal bilirubin should be less than 6.0mg/dL and increases to a little less than 10.0 mgdL as the child grows to 7 days of age.

An excess count of bilirubin in the body leads to the development of jaundice and can be almost immediately diagnosed with the most prominent symptom of the condition being the yellowish tinge in the eyes. A doctor may call for a test to check for normal bilirubin counts in infants because of a number of reasons. For instance, a doctor may call for the test to be performed in the event of suspected drug toxicity, nausea and vomiting as well as abdominal pain or swelling. Since absurdly high bilirubin levels are indicative of liver problems, this test can also be used as a diagnostic tool.

Submitted by N on November 14, 2011 at 10:46

What is a High Bilirubin Count?

Bilirubin is primarily an end product of the filtration of the red blood cells within the liver. The bilirubin is then removed from the body through the colon. A high bilirubin count translates into the development of jaundice - with the most noticeable symptom being the yellowing of the whites of the eyes. High bilirubin counts in newborns are a common condition for the first 3 days - with about 50% of all babies suffering from this occurrence. However, the condition usually resolves itself within a few days.

High bilirubin in adults as well as children will usually indicate some kind of malfunction or damage affecting the liver. In the event the liver is completely unable to filter the red blood cells due to damage, the kidneys will then take over the filtration process - leading to bilirubin being present in the urine.

Some of the other prominent symptoms that are likely to show when affected by high bilirubin counts include abdominal pain or swelling, nausea and vomiting as well as general malaise. As a general rule, bilirubin levels in males tend to be much higher than those in women, with there being also being some dependency on ethnicity - with African Americans showing much higher bilirubin levels.

Submitted by N on November 7, 2011 at 04:05

What causes high bilirubin levels in adults?

Bilirubin is a yellowish product of the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver that is, under normal circumstances, removed from the body via the colon. High bilirubin levels in adults as well as children are usually indicative of problems with the liver organ. The more noticeable symptoms of high bilirubin levels in adults include the yellowing of the whites of the eyes, abdominal pains, dark colored urine as well as nausea, vomiting and a significant amount of lethargy.

There are a number of causes of high bilirubin levels in adults, with chief amongst them being some amount of damage or problem with the working of the liver organ. Studies have shown that the most common reason for liver damage happens to be excessive consumption of alcohol as well as being affected by the hepatitis virus.

Bilirubin is generally not found in urine, but if it is, this is also indicative of the liver not performing correctly. Low bilirubin levels are generally of no concern and, as a result, are not really monitored. Bilirubin levels are usually higher in males than they are in their female counterparts while a lot also depends on the ethnicity of an individual - with African Americans having higher normal bilirubin counts than their Caucasian counterparts.

Submitted by N on October 10, 2011 at 05:26

How to lower bilirubin levels in adults?

Before getting into the details of lowering bilirubin counts in adults, it is important to understand what bilirubin is. Bilirubin is primarily a bi product of the breakdown of red blood cells in the liver and is removed from the body through the excretory system. When the liver malfunctions or fails, the levels of bilirubin within the body starts to increase and the body may start to become yellowish in color. The whites of the eyes are the first noticeable symptom as they start to yellow. One of the most common medical conditions that results from high bilirubin levels is jaundice. Because of the fact that low levels are not usually considered a medical concern, there are no low bilirubin levels treatments.

All causes of high bilirubin levels in adults are linked with failure of the liver and factors like excessive alcohol consumption, being affected by the hepatits virus or even as a result of drug toxicity. Some of the other symptoms that one is likely to notice include nausea, vomiting, amber colored urine as well as abdominal pain and swelling. Lowering bilirubin levels in adults will include taking steps to reduce consumption of anything that will adversely affect the liver.

Submitted by N on September 27, 2011 at 06:04

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