Normal value of total bilirubin

Total bilirubin is of great significance in clinical diagnosis and is mainly composed of direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin. In addition to reflecting the function of the liver, bilirubin can also identify the type of jaundice if the baby has jaundice. Like other indicators, total bilirubin also has normal values, which is also a concern for many people. So, what is the normal value of total bilirubin? Let’s take a look below.

In liver function tests, the normal range of bilirubin is as follows:

[Total bilirubin] 1.71～21μmol/L (0.1mg/dl～1.0mg/dl)

[Direct bilirubin] 0～7.32μmol/L (0～0.2mg/dl)

[Indirect bilirubin 0～13.68μmol/L (0～0.8mg/dl)

Baby Bilirubin

Normal value

The normal range of bilirubin for infants is total bilirubin 3.4-17.1 μmol/L, direct bilirubin below 0-6.8 μmol/L, and indirect bilirubin below 1.7-10.2 μmol/L.

The critical range of bilirubin for infants is: The critical value of total bilirubin is 1.3-1.5 mg/dl. If the infant exceeds this value, it is considered abnormal.

The fluctuation range of infant bilirubin during the normal physiological period: 24 hours after birth, the serum bilirubin can gradually increase from 17-51μmol/L at birth to 86μmol/L or above. Clinically, jaundice appears but there are no other symptoms. It will automatically disappear within 1-2 weeks. This is the physiological jaundice period when the infant bilirubin is normal. The serum bilirubin of infants with physiological jaundice should not exceed 204 μmol/L for full-term infants and 255 μmol/L for premature infants. Attention should be paid to and prevention of the occurrence of bilirubin encephalopathy.

Physiological jaundice

24-72 hours after the baby is born, the sclera, skin, and urine will appear yellow, and the indirect bilirubin will be high. At this time, the baby is in good spirits, eats well, and does not cry or make a fuss. The symptoms will gradually improve after a week and disappear completely within two weeks. For premature babies, they usually disappear within 3 weeks. Jaundice appears late and disappears early. This is normal and parents do not need to worry.

Pathological jaundice

If a baby develops jaundice within one day after birth and has high indirect bilirubin, and is in poor spirits, refuses to drink milk, and cries, and this jaundice does not subside after two weeks, the baby needs to be taken to the hospital for examination and treatment based on the condition.