Jaundice
Jaundice is not a disease; it is a
symptom. Jaundice is a condition signified by the yellowing of the eyes
and the skin. The yellowing of both is caused by the bilirubin. It is a
chemical in the human body. The level of the bilirubin determines the
color of the skin and the eyes. When the level of this chemical is
mildly high the color is yellow, if it is very high the color tends to
be brown.
Bilirubin is a waste product and should be excreted by the liver. It is the function of the liver to remove toxins and waste products from the blood stream. Jaundice can occur in three conditions. The first is if the body is producing too much bilirubin. In this case it will be difficult for the liver to remove this level from the blood. This is the case for patients suffering from hemolytic anemia. The second condition is if there is a defect in the liver that prohibits the removal of bilirubin from the blood. The third condition is if there is any kind of blockage of the bile ducts. The yellowing of the skin and eyes are very prominent symptoms for jaundice. Other than that the patient may suffer from extreme scratching.
The difference in the level of bilirubin can be due to inflammation of the liver, hepatitis B, hepatitis C , and cirrhosis of the liver. Many drugs can cause jaundice. They can cause liver inflammation, or inflammation of bile ducts. There are also few genetic disorders that can cause jaundice. At times there are developmental abnormalities with the bile ducts and the flow of bile is hindered. Jaundice can also occur to pregnant women. There are few diseases like the cholestasis that occurs in the third trimester, pre- eclampsia that occurs in the second half of pregnancy and acute fatty liver occurs late in the pregnancy and causes liver failure.
Jaundice can also be present in the infants. This happens around the second day of birth. It is usually treated by the eighth day of birth. It can be cured through bowel movements and regular urination.
