Bilirubin level in a newborn (skin or blood)
Bilirubin is a yellow chemical that builds up when the body cannot clear it, and too much of it causes jaundice. A baby's level can be measured with a blood test or estimated through the skin with a meter.
- Biomarker
- In this atlas
Overview
Technical summary
MedlinePlus describes bilirubin as a yellow chemical from the breakdown of haemoglobin and lists the bilirubin blood test. The US-cleared JM-105 skin meter gives a reading that should be confirmed by a blood test (serum bilirubin) before treatment decisions. No interpretation thresholds are recorded here; a 2022 US paediatrics guideline is listed as an identity-only reference.
What is measured
- Measure
- Total bilirubin concentration, from a blood sample or estimated through the skin with a transcutaneous meter
- Assay context
- Blood test (serum bilirubin) or transcutaneous meter; the JM-105 indications say its readings should be confirmed by other methods such as serum bilirubin before treatment decisions.
Interpretation
No interpretation claims are published.
Claims and evidence
No claims are published for this biomarker yet.
Record details
- Record id
maternal:bilirubin-newborn- Content hash
38c3729cd09737949924cb1a0b4364349641bbb954933f1e6e03551cc4bc79f1