Jaundice Facts: Cause, Types, Possible Treatment & Other Info – AccuHealth Diagnostics

“Jaundice” is a medical term that is used to describe the yellowing of the skin and eyes. Jaundice is not a disease itself; it is a symptom of several other possible underlying illnesses. Presence of too much bilirubin in your system causes jaundice. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment. In the liver, it is created by the breakdown of dead red blood cells. The liver usually gets rid of bilirubin along with old red blood cells.

Jaundice may be indicative of a more serious condition with the function of any of the following:

• red blood cells
• Liver
• Gallbladder, or
• Pancreas

Early Signs and Symptoms of Jaundice

 Jaundice is normally characterized by yellow-tinted skin and eyes. The whites of your eyes may turn brown or orange when the disease is more severe. You may also get pale stools and dark urine.

Jaundice may also be caused by a more severe underlying health condition such as viral hepatitis. In that case you might experience other symptoms, including excessive fatigue and vomiting.

People who have jaundice usually experience both yellow-tinted skin and yellow-tinted eyes.

If you are having only yellow skin, it may also be due to having too much beta carotene in your system. Beta carotene is an antioxidant found in pumpkins, carrots and sweet potatoes. An excess of beta carotene does not cause jaundice.

Causes of jaundice

 Old red blood cells travel to your liver and they are broken down there. Bilirubin is the yellow pigment formed which is responsible for the breakdown of these old red blood cells. When your liver is not being able to metabolize bilirubin the way it is supposed to do, jaundice occurs.

This is because your liver might be damaged and unable to perform this process. The bilirubin sometimes simply cannot make it to your digestive tract, where it normally would be removed through your stool. There may also be other cases where there is too much bilirubin that is trying to enter the liver at once or too many red blood cells dying at one time.

Jaundice in adults is indicative of:

• Alcohol misuse
• liver cancer
• Thalassemia
• Cirrhosis which is the scarring of the liver caused usually due to too much of alcohol consumption
• Gallstones (cholesterol stones that are made of hardened fat material or pigment stones that are made of bilirubin)
• Hepatitis A
• Hepatitis B
• Hepatitis C
• Hepatitis D
• Hepatitis E
• Pancreatic cancer
• G6PD deficiency
• Biliary (bile duct) obstruction
• Sickle cell anemia
• Acute pancreatitis
• ABO incompatibility reaction
• Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia
• Yellow fever
• Weil’s disease
• Blood disorders such as hemolytic anemia (the rupture or destruction of red blood cells leading to a reduced number of red blood cells in your blood circulation, and resulting in weakness and fatigue)
• An adverse reaction caused by overdose of a medication or due to a medication
• Jaundice also occurs frequently in newborns, especially in prematurely born babies. An excess of bilirubin may develop in newborns as their livers are not fully developed leading to a condition known as breast milk jaundice.

Jaundice Levels or Normal Bilirubin Levels

Normal results for a total bilirubin test are as below:

• 2 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL) for adults and
• usually 1 mg/dL for those under 18.
• For direct bilirubin, normal results are generally 0.3 mg/dL.

These range of test results may vary slightly from laboratory to laboratory.

Jaundice Treatment

 Jaundice itself is not a disease. It is a symptom of several possible underlying illnesses as mentioned above. The type of treatment your doctor will provide for jaundice depends on its cause. Your doctor will treat the cause of the jaundice and not the symptoms. Your yellow skin will likely return to its normal state once your treatment is initiated.

If you are looking for a bilirubin test in Kolkata at an affordable cost, you can certainly get in touch with AccuHealth Diagnostics through our website or toll-free number or one of our centre numbers.