This site is intended for healthcare professionals

Go to /sign-in page

You can view 5 more pages before signing in

Conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia

Authoring team

Conjugated or direct hyperbilirubinaemia occurs when the the liver is able to conjugate bilirubin, but the excretion is impaired.

Causes include:

  • failure of bilirubin excretion by hepatocytes:
    • Dubin-Johnson syndrome
    • Rotor's syndrome
  • obstruction to biliary flow i.e. cholestasis, both intra-hepatic and extra-hepatic

The proportion of conjugated bilirubin with respect to the total raised bilirubin can give a clue as to cause of jaundice.

20-40% of total: more suggestive of hepatic than posthepatic jaundice

40-60% of total: occurs in either hepatic or posthepatic causes

> 50% of total: more suggestive of posthepatic than hepatic jaundice

Note that if conjugated bilirubin is less than 20% of total then the cause of hyperbilirubinaemia is secondary to haemolysis or constitutional e.g. Gilbert's disease, Crigler-Najjar syndrome


Create an account to add page annotations

Add information to this page that would be handy to have on hand during a consultation, such as a web address or phone number. This information will always be displayed when you visit this page

The content herein is provided for informational purposes and does not replace the need to apply professional clinical judgement when diagnosing or treating any medical condition. A licensed medical practitioner should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions.

Connect

Copyright 2024 Oxbridge Solutions Limited, a subsidiary of OmniaMed Communications Limited. All rights reserved. Any distribution or duplication of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited. Oxbridge Solutions receives funding from advertising but maintains editorial independence.