Bilirubin, Impaired Conjugation Workup

  • Author: Sandeep Mukherjee, MB, BCh, MPH, FRCPC; Chief Editor: Julian Katz, MD   more...
 
Updated: Jan 3, 2010
 

Laboratory Studies

  • All patients with impaired bilirubin conjugation have an elevated total serum bilirubin level that is due primarily to the unconjugated form; however, the level of elevation varies according to the underlying disease process.
    • Crigler-Najjar type I syndrome results in very high elevations in bilirubin concentrations (20-50 mg/dL).
    • Crigler-Najjar type II syndrome results in lower bilirubin concentrations than type I, with levels usually in the range of 6-22 mg/dL.
    • Gilbert syndrome results in bilirubin levels of 1-7 mg/dL.
    • In physiologic jaundice, the peak total serum bilirubin level is 5-6 mg/dL (86-103 µmol/L), occurs at 48-120 hours of age, and does not exceed 17-18 mg/dL (291-308 µmol/L).
    • In breast milk jaundice, the bilirubin can increase to levels as high as 20 mg/dL, necessitating the need for phototherapy and the discontinuation of breastfeeding.
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Other Tests

  • In neonates, transcutaneous devices that use multiwavelength spectral reflectance can be used to estimate total serum bilirubin levels and avoid blood sampling. At higher total serum bilirubin levels, the transcutaneous measurements may underestimate the total serum bilirubin concentration; therefore, serum measurements should be obtained. Also, the transcutaneous measurements are not reliable in infants undergoing phototherapy.
  • Because haptoglobin levels decrease during hemolysis, which in turn plays a significant role in raising bilirubin levels in neonates, Cakmak et al studied the relationship between decreasing haptoglobin levels and the risk of jaundice in 84 term babies.[8] The average gestational age of the mothers was 39.5 +/- 1.5 weeks. The authors noted a negative correlation between haptoglobin levels drawn from umbilical cord blood and bilirubin values on the fifth postpartum day.[8] They suggested that by measuring haptoglobin levels from cord blood, neonatologists and pediatricians could stratify neonantes into high- versus low-risk groups for developing jaundice, leading to earlier intervention.[8]
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Histologic Findings

Liver histologic findings are normal in all 3 disease states.

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Contributor Information and Disclosures
Author

Sandeep Mukherjee, MB, BCh, MPH, FRCPC  Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, University of Nebraska Medical Center; Consulting Staff, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Veteran Affairs Medical Center

Sandeep Mukherjee, MB, BCh, MPH, FRCPC is a member of the following medical societies: Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Coauthor(s)

Jeanette G Smith, MD  Fellow, Department of Gastroenterology-Hepatology, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

Jeanette G Smith, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, and American Public Health Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Annie T Chemmanur, MD  Attending Physician, Metrowest Medical Center and University of Massachusetts Memorial Hospital, Marlborough Campus

Annie T Chemmanur, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Association, and Massachusetts Medical Society

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

George Y Wu, MD, PhD  Professor, Department of Medicine, Director, Hepatology Section, Herman Lopata Chair in Hepatitis Research, University of Connecticut School of Medicine

George Y Wu, MD, PhD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Clinical Investigation, and Association of American Physicians

Disclosure: Humana Press Consulting fee Consulting; Novartis Consulting fee Review panel membership

Shirley Donelson, MD  Program Director, Assistant Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Mississippi Medical School

Shirley Donelson, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Association, and Mississippi State Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Specialty Editor Board

David Eric Bernstein, MD  Chief, Section of Hepatology, North Shore University Hospital, Director, Associate Professor, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hepatology, New York University School of Medicine

David Eric Bernstein, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, and American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Francisco Talavera, PharmD, PhD  Senior Pharmacy Editor, eMedicine

Disclosure: eMedicine Salary Employment

James L Achord, MD  Professor Emeritus, Department of Medicine, Division of Digestive Diseases, University of Mississippi School of Medicine

James L Achord, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases, American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, American Medical Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, Mississippi State Medical Association, New York Academy of Sciences, Sigma Xi, and Southern Medical Association

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP  Associate Dean for Undergraduate Medical Education, Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine

Alex J Mechaber, MD, FACP is a member of the following medical societies: Alpha Omega Alpha, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, and Society of General Internal Medicine

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

Chief Editor

Julian Katz, MD  Clinical Professor of Medicine, Drexel University College of Medicine; Consulting Staff, Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Hospital of the Medical College of Pennsylvania

Julian Katz, MD is a member of the following medical societies: American College of Gastroenterology, American College of Physicians, American Gastroenterological Association, American Geriatrics Society, American Medical Association, American Society for Gastrointestinal Endoscopy, American Society of Law Medicine and Ethics, American Trauma Society, Association of American Medical Colleges, and Physicians for Social Responsibility

Disclosure: Nothing to disclose.

References

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  2. Saeki M, Saito Y, Sai K, et al. A combinatorial haplotype of the UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1A1 gene (#60-#IB) increases total bilirubin concentrations in Japanese volunteers. Clin Chem. Feb 2007;53(2):356-8. [Medline].

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  8. Cakmak A, Calik M, Atas A, Hirfanoglu I, Erel O. Can haptoglobin be an indicator for the early diagnosis of neonatal jaundice?. J Clin Lab Anal. 2008;22(6):409-14. [Medline].

  9. Fox IJ, Chowdhury JR, Kaufman SS, et al. Treatment of the Crigler-Najjar syndrome type I with hepatocyte transplantation. N Engl J Med. May 14 1998;338(20):1422-6. [Medline].

  10. Miranda PS, Bosma PJ. Towards liver-directed gene therapy for Crigler-Najjar syndrome. Curr Gene Ther. Apr 2009;9(2):72-82. [Medline].

  11. Birraux J, Menzel O, Wildhaber B, et al. A step toward liver gene therapy: efficient correction of the genetic defect of hepatocytes isolated from a patient with Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1 with lentiviral vectors. Transplantation. Apr 15 2009;87(7):1006-12. [Medline].

  12. Lin JP, O'Donnell CJ, Schwaiger JP, et al. Association between the UGT1A1*28 allele, bilirubin levels, and coronary heart disease in the Framingham Heart Study. Circulation. Oct 3 2006;114(14):1476-81. [Medline].

  13. Lin JP, Schwaiger JP, Cupples LA, O'Donnell CJ, et al. Conditional linkage and genome-wide association studies identify UGT1A1 as a major gene for anti-atherogenic serum bilirubin levels--the Framingham Heart Study. Atherosclerosis. Sep 2009;206(1):228-33. [Medline].

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  16. Aono S, Adachi Y, Uyama E. Analysis of genes for bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase in Gilbert's syndrome. Lancet. Apr 15 1995;345(8955):958-9. [Medline].

  17. Bosma PJ, Chowdhury JR, Bakker C. The genetic basis of the reduced expression of bilirubin UDP-glucuronosyltransferase 1 in Gilbert's syndrome. N Engl J Med. Nov 2 1995;333(18):1171-5. [Medline].

  18. Chopra S. Disorders of the Liver. Philadelphia, Pa: Lea & Febiger; 1988:23-37.

  19. Chopra S, May RJ. Pathophysiology of Gastrointestinal Diseases. Little Brown & Company;1989: 312-317.

  20. Gabilan JC, Benattar C, Lindenbaum A. Clofibrate treatment of neonatal jaundice. Pediatrics. Oct 1990;86(4):647-8.

  21. Kadakol A, Ghosh SS, Sappal BS. Genetic lesions of bilirubin uridine-diphosphoglucuronate glucuronosyltransferase (UGT1A1) causing Crigler-Najjar and Gilbert syndromes: correlation of genotype to phenotype. Hum Mutat. Oct 2000;16(4):297-306.

  22. Schiff ER, Sorrell MF and Maddrey WC, editors. Schiff's Diseases of the Liver. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 1999:151-74.

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  24. Tada K, Roy-Chowdhury N, Prasad V. Long-term amelioration of bilirubin glucuronidation defect in Gunn rats by transplanting genetically modified immortalized autologous hepatocytes. Cell Transplant. Nov-Dec 1998;7(6):607-16.

  25. Vroemen JP, Blanckaert N, Buurman WA. Treatment of enzyme deficiency by hepatocyte transplantation in rats. J Surg Res. Sep 1985;39(3):267-75.

 
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