Bilirubin
Also known as: Total bilirubin, neonatal bilirubin, direct bilirubin (also known as conjugated bilirubin), indirect bilirubin (also known as unconjugated bilirubin)
The Test Sample
What is being tested?
Bilirubin is an orange-yellow pigment found in bile. It is formed when haemoglobin, the red-coloured pigment of red blood cells that carries oxygen to tissues, breaks down. Small amounts of bilirubin are present in blood from damaged or old red cells that have died.
How is the sample collected for testing?
From blood samples. In newborns, blood is often collected from a heel-prick. For adults, blood is typically collected by needle from a vein.
NOTE: If undergoing medical tests makes you or someone you care for anxious, embarrassed, or even difficult to manage, you might consider reading one or more of the following articles: Coping with Test Pain, Discomfort, and Anxiety, Tips on Blood Testing, Tips to Help Children through Their Medical Tests, and Tips to Help the Elderly through Their Medical Tests.
Another article, Follow That Sample, provides a glimpse at the collection and processing of a blood sample and throat culture.
If you don't know what a word or a medical term means, try the
Mondofacto Online Medical Dictionary
.
