Bilirubin is a red-brown pigment that is excreted with bile, most of it is formed in the liver, where its presence within the norm contributes to the proper functionality of this organ, but with an excess in it, bilirubin is already a dangerous product. The blood serum of a healthy person should contain from 8.5 to 20.5 μmol per liter of blood, this is about 0.5-1.2 mg / 100 ml, and in the urine of a healthy person it is almost completely absent, so most laboratory tests do not show at all its availability.
Harrison test - what is it?
To determine bilirubin in the urine, there are many different laboratory experiments, but the Harrison method is the most effective in its reliability and sensitivity. During this reaction, bilirubin is oxidized to biliverdin by the interaction of the Foucher reagent on it, and the Fouche reagent, in turn, is trichloroacetic acid in a certain proportion with ferric chloride. The presence of bilirubin in the urine will be indicated by blue or green staining after the reaction. If the Harrison test is positive, then we can talk about the presence of hepatobiliary pathology, since this method of detecting bilirubin in the urine is the most sensitive reaction among all of its kind.
Increased bilirubinuria or bilirubin in urine
If the bilirubin in the urine is elevated, this is called bilirubinuria. It precedes all serious diseases and, if bilirubinuria is detected in time and treatment is prescribed, more serious consequences can be avoided. You can easily determine it without laboratory tests by the color of urine. When bilirubin prevails, urine acquires a sufficiently dark color, the color of dark beer. But even this is not an indicator of an excess of bilirubin, since a large accumulation in the urine is possible with long abstinence from going to the toilet. In this case, with subsequent visits to the toilet, the urine will become lighter each time and, as a result, acquires a transparent light yellow color.
What can excess bilirubin lead to?
Excessive production of bilirubin in the human body can lead to various consequences of varying severity. One bilirubin molecule includes four pyrrole rings that are linearly connected to each other, and a large accumulation of these molecules can lead to various liver diseases, since its accumulation occurs mainly there. Accordingly, if the integument of the skin has acquired a yellowish tint, it is necessary to check the amount of bilirubin in the body as soon as possible. If it is found beyond the norm, this may indicate the presence of one of the viral hepatitis (various jaundice) in the body, which means that it is urgently necessary to isolate yourself from others in order to avoid further infections and proceed with treatment. Also, the accumulation of bilirubin in the liver can lead to cirrhosis of the liver, to metastases (liver cancer), or the organs closest to it are affected, as a result of which diseases such as renal colic and cholecystitis can be detected.
What else should you know?
Bilirubin is only excreted directly with urine, which is why with hemolytic jaundice, urine does not change, since indirect bilirubin does not penetrate the urine (it does not dissolve in water), while bilirubin in the urine is visually detected by mechanical and parenchymal jaundice by staining in color , noticeably darker than its normal state. If there is any suspicion of an excess of bilirubin, here's what you should know about bilirubin in the urine - its norm is its maximum absence in the urine, where it is not detected at all in ordinary laboratory experiments.
In any case, only a doctor can make a truly correct diagnosis and only relying on the results of tests.