What is the difference between bilirubin total and bilirubin direct?

Question by Derk: I would like to know the difference between bilirubin total and bilirubin direct.

Question by Derk: I would like to know the difference between bilirubin total and bilirubin direct.

Answer: Some bilirubin is bound to a certain protein (albumin) in the blood. This type of bilirubin is called unconjugated or indirect bilirubin. In the liver, bilirubin is converted to a form that can leave the body more easily. This is called conjugated bilirubin or direct bilirubin.

So bilirubin that is attached to a protein (in this case albumin) is the indirect bilirubin and the bilirubin that moves freely in the blood is called direct bilirubin. Together they make up your total bilirubin.