What is BILT. TOT.

[Gracie666]

My blood results came back on BILT. TOT. -  2.0 which is abnormal. Normal range is  0.2-1.5
What is this and what kind of problems should I feel from these test results. Age 55  Wt.174 lb. never smoked or drank or took drugs.

[Rjhurtado91]

My Bilt came back low. Can that cause my abdomen to swell

[Rjhurtado91]

What if your bilt is below normal

[CalGal]

The BILT is bilirubin. Bilirubin is a major breakdown product of hemoglobin which is derived from red blood cells that are being broken down in a 'normal' fashion via the spleen. It's transferred to the liver where a large portion of it undergoes processing and becomes 'conjugated' - it's put together with something else to make it more water-soluble. The water solubility of bilirubin allows the bilirubin to be excreted into bile. (Bile then is used to digest fats.)

Total bilirubin, if I remember correctly, is the conjugated hemoglobin, since there is also another portion that is not conjugated.

What the elevated total bilirubin means at this point is 'something' is going on, but you may need more information before your doc can determine the cause. In many cases it's the determination of the levels of the total and the unconjugated bilirubin that suggest what may be going on since varying levels could suggest problems with a 'clogged' common bile duct (a 'cause') outside of the liver, gallstones, or liver cell damage.