The short answer
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment made when old red blood cells are broken down, and your liver clears it into bile. Labcorp’s range is 0.0 to 1.2 mg/dL. The most common reason for a slightly high result is Gilbert syndrome, which is harmless.1,2,6
- A good result
- 1.2 mg/dL or under.6
- If yours is high
- A little high, with normal liver tests and blood count, is usually Gilbert syndrome.1,2 Gilbert syndrome rarely pushes it to 3 or more, so a higher result needs a closer look.1
- Should you test?
- It’s on most checkup blood tests. If yours was high, the next test splits it into its direct and indirect parts.1
Check your result
Type the number from your report. It stays on this page.
- Normal Under 1.3
- Slightly high 1.3 to 2.9
- High 3.0 or more
Enter your result to see what it means and what to do next.
Got a result from another lab? Ask Picardo about it. The app explains your results, and a physician can follow up.
The lab range is Labcorp’s.6 In Gilbert syndrome, bilirubin usually stays under 3 mg/dL and almost never goes above 6.1 The bar isn’t to scale.
In the normal range
Your bilirubin is within Labcorp’s range.6
Nothing to worry about.
- 1 No follow-up needed for bilirubin itself.
Slightly high: often Gilbert syndrome
The most common reason is Gilbert syndrome, a harmless inherited trait.1,2 It’s likely if the extra bilirubin is the indirect kind, your other liver tests and blood count are normal and you don’t take a medicine that raises it.1 Fasting and illness can push it up 2 to 3 times, so a fasting blood draw can read higher.1,2
Not a worry if it’s Gilbert syndrome. Worth one check to make sure.
- 1 Check direct bilirubin, your other liver tests and a blood count. If the rise is indirect bilirubin and everything else is normal, guidelines call that presumed Gilbert syndrome and don’t routinely test further.1
- 2 If you’re anemic, ask about tests for red blood cells breaking down, called hemolysis.2
High: see a clinician soon
Gilbert syndrome usually keeps bilirubin under 3, and red blood cells breaking down rarely push it above 5 unless the liver or kidneys are also affected.1 At this level, a liver or bile duct problem is more likely, especially if it’s direct bilirubin that’s raised.1
See a clinician within a few days. Get care today if your skin or the whites of your eyes are yellow and you don’t know why.2
- 1 Take this result to a clinician, with your other liver tests.1
- 2 If the rise is all indirect bilirubin and your other tests are normal, Gilbert syndrome or red blood cells breaking down can still explain a result up to about 7.7
- 3 Expect a test that splits bilirubin into its direct and indirect parts, and an ultrasound if the direct part is high.1
What is a normal bilirubin level?
Labcorp’s range for adults is 0.0 to 1.2 mg/dL.6 Above that, how high it goes and which kind of bilirubin is raised matter most:1
In the normal range
Your bilirubin is within Labcorp’s range.6
Nothing to worry about.
- 1 No follow-up needed for bilirubin itself.
Slightly high: often Gilbert syndrome
The most common reason is Gilbert syndrome, a harmless inherited trait.1,2 It’s likely if the extra bilirubin is the indirect kind, your other liver tests and blood count are normal and you don’t take a medicine that raises it.1 Fasting and illness can push it up 2 to 3 times, so a fasting blood draw can read higher.1,2
Not a worry if it’s Gilbert syndrome. Worth one check to make sure.
- 1 Check direct bilirubin, your other liver tests and a blood count. If the rise is indirect bilirubin and everything else is normal, guidelines call that presumed Gilbert syndrome and don’t routinely test further.1
- 2 If you’re anemic, ask about tests for red blood cells breaking down, called hemolysis.2
High: see a clinician soon
Gilbert syndrome usually keeps bilirubin under 3, and red blood cells breaking down rarely push it above 5 unless the liver or kidneys are also affected.1 At this level, a liver or bile duct problem is more likely, especially if it’s direct bilirubin that’s raised.1
See a clinician within a few days. Get care today if your skin or the whites of your eyes are yellow and you don’t know why.2
- 1 Take this result to a clinician, with your other liver tests.1
- 2 If the rise is all indirect bilirubin and your other tests are normal, Gilbert syndrome or red blood cells breaking down can still explain a result up to about 7.7
- 3 Expect a test that splits bilirubin into its direct and indirect parts, and an ultrasound if the direct part is high.1
What is bilirubin?
Think of bilirubin as the yellow left over from recycling old red blood cells. Your liver packages it up and sends it out in bile. When something slows that down, the yellow builds up in your blood.
Bilirubin starts out in an indirect, or unconjugated, form. Your liver converts it to a direct, or conjugated, form and passes it into bile. In a normal result, about 70% is the indirect kind.1
What’s the difference between direct and indirect bilirubin?
Which kind is raised points to the cause:1
| What’s raised | Common reasons |
|---|---|
| Mostly indirect (unconjugated) bilirubin | Gilbert syndrome, red blood cells breaking down or some medicines |
| Direct (conjugated) bilirubin | Liver disease or a blocked bile duct |
A routine panel reports total bilirubin. If yours is high, the next test splits it.1
What is Gilbert syndrome?
Gilbert syndrome is an inherited difference in how your liver processes bilirubin, so your level runs a little high.3 It’s common: US and UK guidelines put it at 3 to 8 in every 100 people.1,2 In a UK study of nearly half a million people, about 10% had the gene pattern behind it, but only 3% of them had been diagnosed.3
It isn’t a liver disease and needs no treatment.2 Your bilirubin may rise when you fast or are ill, and fall again when you eat.1
It does matter for a few medicines. If you’re prescribed the cancer drug irinotecan, people with the Gilbert gene pattern can get more severe side effects, so the dose may need adjusting.4 The HIV drug atazanavir is also more likely to turn their skin yellow.5
Is high bilirubin good for your heart?
Probably not in itself. In a large UK study, people with higher measured bilirubin had fewer heart attacks and less lung disease. But the same links didn’t show up in people with the Gilbert gene pattern, which suggests bilirubin itself isn’t what protects them.3 That gene pattern does come with slightly more gallstones.3
How to lower bilirubin
- Treating the cause
When a liver or bile duct problem is behind a high bilirubin, the work-up aims to find and treat it.1
- How much it helps
- A lot
- How sure we are
- Very sure
- Eating regularly, if you have Gilbert syndrome
Fasting can push bilirubin up 2 to 3 times, and eating brings it back down.1
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Fairly sure
- Reviewing your medicines
Some drugs raise bilirubin, such as the HIV drug atazanavir.5 Ask before stopping a prescribed medicine.
- How much it helps
- Some
- How sure we are
- Very sure
If you have Gilbert syndrome, a result a little above the lab’s range isn’t something you need to bring down.2
Who should get a bilirubin test?
Bilirubin comes on the comprehensive metabolic panel, so most people get it with routine blood work. It’s worth a closer look if:
- Your skin or the whites of your eyes look yellow.2
- Other liver tests are abnormal.2
- You’re anemic, to check whether red blood cells are breaking down too fast.2
How to get a bilirubin test, and what it costs
It comes from the comprehensive metabolic panel, which costs $4.00 through Picardo.
Comprehensive metabolic panel
The test this number comes from.
- Results in 2 to 3 days, in the app
- Physician follow-up if you want one
- Free Labcorp draw, or $75 at home
- No other fees. HSA and FSA eligible.
It’s also part of the Base Core Annual – Men, Base Core Annual – Women, Heart Health, Brain Health Screening, Pregnancy, Postpartum, Fertility, Thyroid & Autoimmunity and Celiac / GI panels, if you’d rather test more at once.
Already have a result? Ask Picardo about itQuestions people ask
Does fasting raise bilirubin?
Yes. A long fast can push it up, especially if you have Gilbert syndrome, where fasting or illness can raise it 2 to 3 times.1,6 It comes back down when you eat.1
Do I need a gene test for Gilbert syndrome?
Usually not. If bilirubin is mildly raised and mostly indirect, with normal liver tests and no sign of red blood cells breaking down, US guidelines accept the diagnosis without one, and suggest a gene test only if the cause stays unclear.1 UK guidelines also suggest one if the indirect bilirubin is above about 2.3 mg/dL, to look for rarer inherited causes.2
Often checked alongside
Test details
- Labcorp test
- Metabolic Panel (14), Comprehensive, 322000
- LOINC
- 1975-2
- Sample
- Blood
- Fasting
- The metabolic panel asks for 12 hours, for its glucose result. Fasting can push bilirubin up, and with Gilbert syndrome a long fast or an illness can double or triple it.1,6
- Typical lab range
- 0.0 to 1.2 mg/dL6
- Units
- mg/dL in the US. For µmol/L, multiply by 17.1.
Sources
- 1 Kwo PY, Cohen SM, Lim JK. ACG clinical guideline: evaluation of abnormal liver chemistries. Am J Gastroenterol. 2017;112(1):18–35. doi.org/10.1038/ajg.2016.517
- 2 Newsome PN, Cramb R, Davison SM, et al. Guidelines on the management of abnormal liver blood tests. Gut. 2018;67(1):6–19. doi.org/10.1136/gutjnl-2017-314924
- 3 Hamilton FW, Abeysekera K, Hamilton W, Timpson NJ. Effect of bilirubin and Gilbert syndrome on health: cohort analysis of observational, genetic, and Mendelian randomisation associations. BMJ Med. 2023;2(1):e000467. doi.org/10.1136/bmjmed-2022-000467
- 4 US Food and Drug Administration. Table of pharmacogenetic associations. Updated September 10, 2026. www.fda.gov/medical-devices/precision-medicine/table-pharmacogenetic-associations
- 5 Gammal RS, Court MH, Haidar CE, et al. Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guideline for UGT1A1 and atazanavir prescribing. Clin Pharmacol Ther. 2016;99(4):363–369. doi.org/10.1002/cpt.269
- 6 Labcorp. Bilirubin, total, test 001099. Labcorp test menu. Accessed October 28, 2026. www.labcorp.com/tests/001099/bilirubin-total
- 7 Kwo PY, Masuoka HC, Schaefer EA, Friedman LS. Evaluation of abnormal liver biochemical test results. Gastroenterology. 2026;170(7):1457–1472. doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2025.12.041
Updated 4 Nov 2026.
This is general health information, not medical advice: talk to your clinician about your results and before changing any treatment.