High total bilirubin and indirect bilirubin may be caused by hepatocellular jaundice, cirrhosis, hemolytic anemia and other diseases.
1. Hepatocellular jaundice: When liver cells are damaged, there are problems with bilirubin binding, uptake and excretion, resulting in a large amount of bilirubin in the blood and difficulty in converting indirect bilirubin into direct bilirubin, resulting in high levels of total and indirect bilirubin and jaundice.
2. Cirrhosis: Repeated liver damage over a long period of time leads to deformation of the liver, which gradually develops into cirrhosis. The liver’s function is impaired and its ability to metabolize bilirubin decreases, leading to a large accumulation of bilirubin in the blood and high total bilirubin. At the same time, the liver also has difficulty in accomplishing the function of converting indirect bilirubin into direct bilirubin, resulting in high indirect bilirubin as well.
3. Hemolytic anemia: A large number of red blood cells are destroyed, resulting in a large amount of bilirubin in the red blood cells into the blood, resulting in high total bilirubin. At the same time, the indirect bilirubin to be processed by the liver also increases a lot, resulting in high indirect bilirubin.
High total and indirect bilirubin may also be caused by other reasons, and it is recommended to consult a doctor for examination to identify the cause of the problem before treatment.