Does drinking alcohol cause high bilirubin?

Bilirubin is an important indicator for detecting liver function clinically. When bilirubin increases, it usually means that there is a problem with liver function. However, the increase in bilirubin is also physiological, and many factors in life can also affect the temporary increase in bilirubin. Some people like to drink alcohol, and when their bilirubin levels rise, they worry that it is caused by alcohol. So, does drinking alcohol cause high bilirubin? Let’s take a look below.

The liver is the detoxification center of the human body, and bilirubin is an important indicator of liver health. Alcohol can be said to be a killer of the liver. The main component of alcohol is ethanol, which is toxic to the liver. Ethanol also needs to be metabolized by the liver. If a large amount of alcohol exceeds the metabolic load of the liver, it will cause great damage to the liver, thereby affecting the liver's function. Therefore, drinking alcohol will cause increased bilirubin.

In addition, long-term drinking will not only lead to increased bilirubin, but may also cause alcoholic hepatitis, which will cause abnormal liver function and induce alcoholic liver. Common causes of elevated bilirubin levels may also include extrahepatic bile duct obstruction, hemolytic jaundice and liver disease. Therefore, if bilirubin levels are high for a long time or are severe, you must go to a regular hospital for examination and treatment as soon as possible. Will drinking alcohol cause elevated bilirubin? The liver disease expert finally emphasized that no matter what the cause of elevated bilirubin is, the root cause is damage to liver cells. Therefore, elevated bilirubin levels must be taken seriously, especially for hepatitis B virus carriers, as it may be a sign of worsening disease.

Bilirubin is a type of bile pigment and the main pigment in human bile, including total bilirubin, direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin. After red blood cells age, they release hemoglobin. The heme in hemoglobin is metabolized in the body into water-insoluble indirect bilirubin (also called unconjugated bilirubin). Indirect bilirubin is converted into water-soluble direct bilirubin (also called conjugated bilirubin) by the liver and can be excreted from the body through the kidneys in the urine. Total bilirubin is the sum of direct bilirubin and indirect bilirubin. Bilirubin is an important indicator of liver function and the main basis for judging jaundice. It helps in the diagnosis of liver and gallbladder diseases and blood diseases.

High serum bilirubin means that one or more of the total bilirubin, direct bilirubin, and indirect bilirubin in the serum exceeds the normal reference value. When serum bilirubin is high, corresponding changes will also occur in the urine. It can be used to determine the type and extent of jaundice.