Bilirubin is the main bile pigment formed from obsolete red blood cells. Such a substance is found in the blood serum, and is excreted from the body by the excretory system. Doctors are usually alarmed by the fact that it rises or falls, as this indicates serious pathologies that occur in the human body. Let us consider in more detail why there may be reduced bilirubin and what are the consequences of such an ailment.
Why can bilirubin decrease?
In quite rare cases, bilirubin has low rates, so doctors may suggest the presence of serious pathological processes in the body. Consider the most common diseases leading to this.
Renal failure
If bilirubin is lowered, what does it mean? This condition may occur due to chronic renal failure. To exclude other pathologies, it is necessary to examine the kidneys and adrenal glands to identify their condition. This is a very serious disease that requires constant attention from urologists, and the treatment of such an ailment is long and complicated. Using a blood and urine test, the presence or absence of this urological problem is determined.
Acute Leukemia and Tuberculosis
What else could be the cause of low bilirubin? Often it begins to decline against the background of such a formidable disease as acute leukemia, but tuberculous intoxication is also possible. These ailments are very serious, and their diagnosis, carried out in a timely manner, can guarantee a favorable prognosis of the outcome of the disease.
Aplastic anemia
Sometimes a low bilirubin index indicates a disease such as aplastic anemia. This is a very rare and difficult pathology that requires complex treatment.
If we talk about patients aged 60 years and older, then lower bilirubin in the blood indicates a disease such as coronary heart disease, which has a different intensity. The clinical course in the elderly of this cardiac pathology is often accompanied by a picture of reduced bile pigment.
How to prepare for the analysis?
As soon as the results of a biochemical blood test are obtained, which showed a decrease in bilirubin, doctors usually refer the patient to a repeated blood sampling procedure to rule out a mistake. In some cases, the cause of the pathological picture is improper preparation for blood donation for analysis.
For example, the day before such a procedure, it is necessary to limit the intake of nicotine and caffeine, as well as exclude alcohol. It is recommended to consume liquids as much as possible, it is desirable that it be clean water.
If the patient takes antibiotics or other medicines and the doctor sent him for a biochemical blood test, then the patient must inform the doctor about it. Reduced bilirubin may be due to the fact that the drug, accumulating in large quantities, greatly changes the blood picture.
If the patient has passed repeated tests and the result remains the same, then he should agree to conduct a full examination of the body to determine the nature and location of the existing pathology.
Decreased bilirubin during pregnancy and in children
More recently, it was considered normal if a pregnant woman had a lower bilirubin level in her blood. However, at present, such an indicator is considered pathological, which requires additional diagnostics and the necessary medical intervention.
A reduced bilirubin in a pregnant woman indicates coronary heart disease. Even if she never complained about heart problems, it is likely that pregnancy can trigger the development of various diseases.
The occurrence of cardiac pathologies in a woman expecting a baby is explained by the fact that the body during this period cannot cope with the load that has arisen. During pregnancy, the mother’s heart pumps out twice as much blood per day, providing the body of the mother and the unborn baby with nutrients.
In addition, a decrease in the concentration of bilirubin in the blood during pregnancy causes pathologies and diseases of the kidneys. This is also explained by the increasing load on the excretory system, which affects the normal functioning of the kidneys.
If a pregnant woman begins to change blood pressure, swelling appears, increasing in the evening, and everything else begins to lower blood levels of bilirubin, this is a reason to suspect that there are liver pathologies.
It is very dangerous when the child has reduced bilirubin. Although this phenomenon has not been fully studied, but, according to many experts, this may be associated with a risk of vascular and heart diseases. During the blood test, it is necessary to listen to all the recommendations of the laboratory assistant, otherwise the results will not be entirely reliable.
How to normalize bilirubin levels?
If a person has reduced bilirubin, it can be normalized in the following ways:
- It is necessary to pay attention to the mode of motor activity and the nature of nutrition, because bilirubin in the blood may decrease due to stagnation of bile in the body. Thanks to rational and proper nutrition, as well as increased motor activity, you can radically solve the problem. This is especially true for pregnant women who need to eat properly and move more.
- If a person has reduced bilirubin in the blood, then to normalize it, you should refuse to drink alcohol. This is necessary in order to establish the exact cause of such a pathology and conduct adequate treatment.
How to lower bilirubin?
This bile pigment can not only decrease, but also increase. How to lower bilirubin in this case? The result can only come if you act on the cause of the disease. It is recommended to remove the tumor or stones that prevent the outflow of bile, as well as eliminate all viruses that destroy red blood cells and liver cells from the body.
In addition, reduce bilirubin in the blood as follows:
- You should take drugs for the disease, because of which this substance has increased. Most often, such diseases are hepatitis or hemolytic anemia.
- It is necessary to take medications and dietary supplements that contribute to the normal functioning of the liver - these are Essential, Hepatrin, Phenobarbital and various hepatoprotectors.
- They use choleretic drugs that help enhance the production of bile and contribute to its removal from the body.
- A proper diet is needed.
- You should completely abandon alcohol.
Output
Currently, the problems leading to a decrease in bilirubin in the blood are not fully understood. Therefore, you should follow all the doctor's recommendations for the diagnosis of the whole organism. To ensure that the level of bilirubin always remains within the normal range, it is necessary to undergo competent treatment, thanks to which bile will begin to be normally excreted from the body.