Vnitr Lek 2018, 64(12):1148-1152

Bilirubin: from an unimportant waste product to important myocardial infarction predictor

Jaroslav A. Hubáček^1,*, Libor Vítek^2,3

¹ Centrum experimentální medicíny IKEM, Praha

² IV. interní klinika 1. LF UK a VFN v Praze

³ Ústav lékařské biochemie a laboratorní diagnostiky 1. LF UK a VFN v Praze

Bilirubin is the major catabolic product of heme degradation. It has long been regarded as an unimportant waste product. However, within the last twenty-five years, it has been demonstrated to play a very important role in maintaining the body's redox equilibrium. Disturbances of this equilibrium - increased oxidative stress - are currently considered one of the major risk factors for the development of non-communicable diseases. Although the exact mechanism is not known, a number of human studies have proved a reduced incidence of a number of (especially cardiovascular but also cancer) diseases in individuals with mildly elevated bilirubin concentrations.

Keywords: bilirubin; cardiovascular disease; morbidity; mortality

Received: October 22, 2018; Accepted: November 15, 2018; Published: December 1, 2018  Show citation