Jaundice: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment & Prevention

 What is Jaundice?

Jaundice is a disorder marked by a high concentration of bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment that turns the skin, whites of the eyes, and mucous membranes yellow. There are numerous reasons for jaundice, including hepatitis, gallstones, and tumors.

Symptoms of Jaundice

Jaundice may occasionally go unnoticed by the patient. The underlying reasons and how fast or slowly the disease progresses determine how severe the symptoms are.

The following symptoms and indicators could be present if you have short-term jaundice, which is typically brought on by an infection:

• Fever
• Chills
• Ache in the abdomen
• Influenza-like symptoms
• Skin tone changes
• Feces or urine that is a dark clay color

If an infection is not the source of your jaundice, you may experience symptoms including weight loss or itchy skin (pruritus). Abdominal discomfort is the most typical symptom if pancreatic or biliary tract malignancies are the cause of the jaundice. Jaundice associated with liver illness can occasionally occur if you have:

• Liver inflammation or chronic hepatitis
• Gangrenous pyoderma
• Hepatitis A, B, or C that is acute
• Polyarthralgias (inflammation of the joints)

Jaundice in Infants

The majority of hospitals have a policy of checking infants for jaundice before releasing them. Infants should be checked for jaundice during routine medical examinations and at least once every eight to twelve hours while in the hospital.

Between the third and seventh day after birth, when bilirubin levels often reach their peak, you should have your newborn checked for jaundice. Make a follow-up appointment within two days after discharge if your infant is released from the hospital before 72 hours have passed since delivery in order to check for jaundice.

Symptoms of Jaundice in Infants

The following indications or symptoms could point to consequences from excessive bilirubin or severe jaundice in infants:

• The color of your baby's skin becomes yellow.
• Your baby's abdomen, arms, or legs have yellowish skin.
• The baby's eye whites appear to be yellow.
• Your infant appears lethargic, ill, or is finding difficulty waking up.
• If your infant isn't eating well or isn't gaining weight.
• Your infant cries in a loud voice.
• If your infant exhibits any further worrisome behaviors or symptoms.

 When to see a doctor for Jaundice?

To ascertain the underlying cause of jaundice, a gastroenterologist is typically consulted. Also, if you experience any of the aforementioned symptoms or observe a yellow sclera, call your doctor right once. In adults, jaundice may be a sign of a serious medical condition. Ignoring the signs of jaundice will only make the condition worse.

 Causes of Jaundice

Concerns with the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas are frequently indicative of jaundice. When the body accumulates too much bilirubin, jaundice can develop. This might occur when:

• There are too many red blood cells dying or decomposing in the liver.
• The liver is harmed or overworked.
• The liver's bilirubin cannot enter the digestive tract in a healthy manner.

Jaundice can be caused by the following conditions:

• Hepatitis A, B, C, D, and E that can infect the liver
• Specific medications (such as an acetaminophen overdose), adverse reactions to other medications, or exposure to poisons (for example, poisonous mushrooms)
• Diseases or birth anomalies that make it difficult for the body to break down bilirubin (such as Gilbert syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndrome)
• Persistent liver disease
• Diseases of the gallbladder or gallstones that block the bile duct
• Blood disorders
• Pancreatic cancer
• Bile buildup in the gallbladder during pregnancy