Question:easy
Bilirubin in serum can be measured by which of the following?
Bilirubin in serum can be measured by which of the following?
Show Hint
The serum assay uses diazotized sulfanilic acid.
Updated On: Jun 23, 2026
- Van den Bergh reaction
- Ehrlich's reaction
- Schlesinger's reaction
- Fouchet's reaction
Show Solution
The Correct Option is A
Solution and Explanation
Match each named reaction to its target pigment and sample. The trick is that three of the four belong to urine, and only one is the serum bilirubin assay. Ehrlich's aldehyde reaction picks up urobilinogen in urine; Schlesinger's test detects urobilin in urine; Fouchet's test detects bilirubin but in urine. The van den Bergh reaction is the classic serum method: diazotized sulfanilic acid couples with bilirubin to form colored azodipyrroles read on a colorimeter. Conjugated bilirubin, being water soluble, reacts quickly and gives the direct value, while adding methanol brings the poorly soluble unconjugated bilirubin into reaction to give total, and the difference is the indirect fraction. So for serum, the answer is van den Bergh, option (a). Pearl: direct equals conjugated, indirect equals unconjugated, and normally only about 4 percent of plasma bilirubin is conjugated because the rest is excreted in bile.
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