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Other Names: Yellow Skin, Icterus, Yellow Eyes
Jaundice
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Jaundice is a health condition characterized by yellow discoloration of the
skin, the mucous membranes, and the white (sclera) of eyes. This yellow discoloration
is due to accumulation of a yellow pigment called bilirubin. Bilirubin is
a product
that is released by
old red blood
cells that breakdown and die. The bilirubin from the dead red cells is further
processed by liver and is excreted from the body in the stool. Jaundice is
the hallmark symptom of diseases that affect the liver and the biliary system. Return to top 
- Hemolytic Jaundice - This type of jaundice results from the the breakdown
of excessive numbers of red blood cells. The bilirubin that is released from
the breakdown of these large numbers of cells exceeds the livers capacity
to process it and help the body get rid of it in stool. Thus the yellow pigment,
which is bilirubin accumulates in the body and becomes visible in the form
of yellow coloration (jaundice) of skin and the whites of eye. Example of
hemolytic jaundice is jaundice appearing in a condition called hemolytic anemia,
where the red blood cells are excessively destroyed by the body. Jaundice
that is seen in most babies during the first week of life, (physiologic jaundice)
is also of hemolytic type but is a normal and physiological phenomenon. Since
many red blood cells are broken down very quickly and the baby's liver is
unprepared to handle the load, jaundice appears which clears off in the next
3-5 days.
- Non-hemolytic Jaundice - This kind of jaundice occurs due to the liver being
damaged or overloaded or by the inability to move the bilirubin through the
biliary tract to the gut. This kind of jaundice can also be called pathologic
jaundice as it can be a result of a serious and life threatening conditions
like blood incompatibilities, blood diseases, genetic syndromes, hepatitis,
cirrhosis, bile duct blockage, other liver diseases, infections or medications.
Non-hemolytic jaundice (hyper-carotenemia or carotenemia) can also result
by consuming too much beta-carotene which is the yellow orange pigment present
in carrots. The differentiation feature is that in hyper-carotenemia, the
whites of the eyes remain white whereas, in actual jaundice there is a yellowish
coloration of the whites of the eye.
- Deficiency of bilirubin-processing enzymes in the liver - This is a hereditary
disorder in which mild jaundice develops due to low levels of some the bilirubin
processing enzymes.
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- Viral Hepatitis
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- Blockage in Bile ducts
- Gallstones
- Bile duct tumor
- Inflammation of the bile duct e.g. Sclerosing cholangitis
- Bile duct stricture or narrowing
- Biliary atresia
- Liver Cirrhosis (alcoholic cirrhosis)
- Primary Biliary Cirrhosis
- Cancer of the:
- Pancreas
- Liver
- Gallbladder
- Chronic active hepatitis
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Malaria
- Medications like erythromycin, sulfa drugs, antidepressants, anti-cancer
drugs, Aldomet, rifampin, steroids, acetaminophen (tylenol), chlorpropamide,
tolbutamide, oral contraceptives, testosterone, propylthiouracil
- Inadequate blood flow to the liver (ischemic hepatocellular jaundice)
- Drug abuse
- Jaundice of pregnancy (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the pressure
in the abdomen with pregnancy)
- Hemolytic anemia
- Hereditary disorders due to deficiency of bilirubin processing enzymes in
the liver such as Gilbert's syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor's syndrome,
or Crigler-Najjar syndromes
- Choledochal cysts
- Alagille Syndrome
- Zellweger Syndrome
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Persistent and long term diseases of the liver can lead to permanent damage
and liver failure. Liver failure is a serious and life threatening condition.
The damage to the liver develops slowly and progressively over a period of years
due to causes such as alcohol abuse or infection with hepatitis virus. it. Liver
failure can also be acute i.e. the damage occurs over a period of days or weeks.
The common reasons for acute liver failure include hepatitis virus infections,
drugs, pregnancy, autoimmune disease, and sudden low blood flow to the liver.
Untreated, chronic hepatitis B and C can cause cirrhosis and liver cancer. Hepatitis
B infection can be passed on the baby if the mother acquires the infection during
pregnancy.
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- Follow physicians prescribed treatment and advice to treat the underlying
cause of jaundice
- Cut down or stop alcohol consumption
- Reduce the amounts of fats that you and your family consume in diet. The
risk of gallbladder disorders including gallstones, a liver-related disease
can be reduced by avoiding high-fat and cholesterol foods.
- Cut down on the amount of deep-fried and fatty foods you and your family
consume.
- Eat a well balanced and nutritious diet
- Meat, fish and poultry provide protein, vitamin A, iron, vitamin B12,
niacin, fiber, thiamin
- Breads, rice and cereals provide carbohydrates, niacin, thiamin, iron,
riboflavin, fiber
- Fruits and vegetables provide vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, fiber, folic
acid
- Milk and milk products provide calcium, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid,
vitamin A, vitamin B12, vitamin D
- Fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grain breads provide dietary fiber
- Try to maintain a healthy body weight as being over weight has a direct
correlation to the development of gallbladder disorders.
- A regular exercise routine is very vital for being healthy and fit.
- Liver transplant - This is a surgical procedure to replace your liver with
the one that has been donated by someone else. The donated liver can come
from someone who has died recently or a living family member. If the liver
tissue is taken from a living family member, a small part of the liver tissue
is removed and transplanted into the patient to allow new cells to form and
regenerate from the transplanted tissue.
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