Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Jaundice can arise before the liver processes bilirubin (pre-hepatic), inside the liver (hepatic), or after the liver has processed it (post-hepatic/obstructive), and each type shows a different bilirubin pattern in blood tests.
Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Haemolytic anaemia is a pre-hepatic cause: red blood cells break down faster than normal, flooding the blood with unconjugated bilirubin before the liver even gets a chance to act on it.
Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Because red cell breakdown happens upstream of the liver, the unconjugated bilirubin load rises faster than the liver's conjugating enzymes can keep up with, so unconjugated bilirubin builds up in the blood and exceeds the conjugated fraction. This differs from obstructive jaundice, where a blocked bile duct causes already-conjugated bilirubin to back up into the blood instead, raising the conjugated fraction above the unconjugated one.
Step 4: Final Answer:
In haemolytic anaemia, unconjugated bilirubin is found in greater amount than conjugated bilirubin.