Direct bilirubin in the blood is one of the important types of bile tetrapyrroles - pigments. In addition to direct bilirubin, there is another type - indirect. First of all, let us recall what is bilirubin proper.
The increase in serum bilirubin concentration above 17.1 μmol / l is called hyperbilirubinemia. This condition can be a consequence of the formation of bilirubin in amounts exceeding the ability of a normal liver to excrete it; liver damage that disrupts the excretion of bilirubin in normal amounts.
Yellow pigments are the products of the decomposition of hemoglobin and other chromoproteins - myoglobin, cytochromes and heme-containing enzymes. The bile pigments include bilirubin and urobilin bodies - urobilinoids.
