Patient education: Bilirubin test (The Basics)

What is a bilirubin test? — This is a type of blood test. It measures the amount of bilirubin in the blood.

Bilirubin is a waste product that the body creates when it breaks down old red blood cells. It passes through the liver. If your bilirubin level is too high, it might mean that you have a problem with your liver or your red blood cells.

Too much bilirubin in the blood causes something called "jaundice." This is when the skin or the whites of the eyes turn yellow.

Why might I get a bilirubin test? — Your doctor might order this test:

●As part of a group of tests called a "liver panel"

●To find the cause of jaundice

●To check for problems in the liver or gallbladder

●To monitor certain types of anemia

A bilirubin test can also be done on babies who have signs of jaundice. This is common in newborns and can happen within a day or days of birth. The doctor will do a "heel prick" to take a small amount of blood for testing.

How do I prepare for a bilirubin test? — For this test, you need to get a "blood draw." Your doctor or nurse will tell you where to go for this.

It might help to wear a short-sleeve shirt to your blood draw appointment. This makes it easier for the person drawing your blood to get to your arm.

What happens during a blood draw? — For the blood draw, a needle is used to take a small amount of blood from your arm (figure 1). Collecting the blood only takes a few minutes. The blood is then tested in a lab.

Tell the person who takes your blood:

●If you take "blood thinner" medicines or if you have a bleeding problem – They will make sure that your bleeding is under control before you leave.

●If you have a latex allergy – Some of the supplies used for blood draws might contain latex.

●If you have a preferred arm to use

Most of the time, getting blood taken does not cause problems. You might have a little soreness or bruising where the needle went in.

What do my results mean? — Your doctor or nurse will tell you when to expect your results, and will contact you with the results. Or if you use an online "patient portal," you might get an alert there when your results are ready.

If your test shows that your bilirubin level is high, your doctor or nurse will talk to you about what to do next. They might need to do more tests to figure out what the cause is.

If you do have a health problem, your doctor will work with you to come up with a plan for treatment.

More on this topic

Patient education: Liver panel (The Basics)
Patient education: Jaundice in adults (The Basics)
Patient education: Jaundice in babies (The Basics)
Patient education: Autoimmune hemolytic anemia (The Basics)

Patient education: Jaundice in newborn infants (Beyond the Basics)