What is Jaundice?
- A high level of bilirubin, a yellow orange bile pigment, causes the skin, eye whites, and mucous membranes to turn yellowish in the condition known as jaundice.
- There are numerous reasons for jaundice, including hepatitis, gallstone, and tumors. Jaundice in adults usually does not require medical attention.
- The presence of jaundice frequently signals a problem with the liver or biliary tract. Bilirubin, a waste product, can build up in the blood when the liver is not working properly.
- A person’s skin, eyes, and mucous membranes might turn yellow with moderate levels of bilirubin. The color may also transition from yellow to green as it advances. Biliverdin, the green pigment found in bile, is what gives the color its green pigment.
- People of all ages can get jaundice, which typically results from an underlying disease. The likelihood of having jaundice is greater in newborns and elderly persons.
- As the red blood cells naturally degrade, Bilurubin levels rise. This waste material is often removed by the liver from the blood stream and changed into a different form called conjugated bilirubin. A person’s stool is where all the new form exists the body thereafter.
- Bilirubin can accumulate in the body if there is an excess production that the liver is unable to ekliminate. The yellow color of the skin and eyes is bought on by hyperbilirubinemia.
- The most common cause of jaundice is an underlying condition that either increases the amount of bilirubin produced or hinders the liver’s ability to remove it.
Causes
- Excess bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia)
- Infections by virus like hepatitis A, B, C, D or E.
- Cirrhosis also called as scarring of the liver or increased alcohol consumption.
- Autoimmune disease, like primary biliary cirrhosis.
- Hereditary conditions, such as Dubin–Johnson syndrome.
- Side effects of certain medications
- Gallstone disease
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Gallbladder or pancreatic cancer
- Hemolytic anemia
- Pregnancy
Symptoms
Common symptoms of jaundice-
- yellow color on the skin, mucous membranes and whites of the eyes
- pale stools
- dark urine
- itchiness
In infants, the yellowish tinge may begin at the head and spread down the body to the toes.
Accompanying symptoms of jaundice may include:
- abdominal pain
- fatigue
- weight loss
- vomiting
- fever