bilirubin in urine (Ictotest)

Reference interval

< 0.8 mg/dL

Clinical significance

• only conjugated bilirubin appears in urine
• unconjugated bilirubin is tightly bound to albumin; it is not filtered by the glomerulus & does not appear in the urine
• conjugated bilirubin may be found in the urine when the serum bilirubin is normal
• resorptive capacity for conjugated bilirubin is low
• bilirubinuria can be early sign of liver disease
• clearance of bilirubin from urine can be early sign of liver recovery

Increases

• clinical disorders
  • conditions with elevated serum conjugated bilirubin
    • intrahepatic & extrahepatic biliary tree obstruction
    • hepatocellular injury
    • Dubin-Johnson syndrome
    • Rotor syndrome
• pharmaceutical agents
  • chemical interferences:
    • rifampin, chlorpromazine, phenothiazines, phenazopyridine, ethoxazine, etodolac, mefenamic acid, flufenamic acid, salicylate

Methods

• dipstick (reagent strip)
  • BMC Chemstrig
  • Miles Bili Labstix
  • Ictotest
• oxidation method (Harrison's sot test of Fouchet's test)
• limit of detection 0.05 mg/dL

Specimen

• urine, fresh, random
• protect from light

More general terms

• urine chemistry test
• bilirubin in body fluid

Additional terms

• bilirubin
• bilirubin conjugated in serum