Jaundice is characterized by yellowing of the skin, eyes, and body fluids due to the accumulation of bile pigment. It is caused by liver damage or disease, hemolysis, or obstruction. Newborns may develop jaundice due to an immature liver, but it usually disappears as the liver matures.
The most recognizable symptom of jaundice is a yellow, orange or greenish discoloration of the skin, whites of the eyes, mucous membranes and body fluids caused by the accumulation of bile pigment. Other symptoms of jaundice include light brown stools and itching. The itching, or itching, can sometimes become quite severe and cause the patient to scratch until the sores appear. Jaundice is usually a symptom of a more serious disease and is not a disease. It’s best to check for jaundice symptoms in bright sunlight, as the pigmentation can be difficult to see in artificial light.
The liver removes waste products and toxins from hemoglobin, an oxygen-carrying protein and pigment found in red blood cells. Hemolysis is the destruction of red blood cells and the release of hemoglobin into the bloodstream. Bilirubin is the waste product that comes from destroyed cells and waste products from hemoglobin.
Bilirubin, a waste product, is a bile pigment and gives stool its brown color. The liver cleans the bilirubin from the blood and produces bile. Bile is a greenish or yellowish alkaline fluid secreted by the liver that contains waste products ready for elimination. Bile is stored in the gallbladder, which expels it into the duodenum, the upper part of the small intestine, where it is absorbed into fat and passed out of the body in stool.
There are three forms of jaundice: obstructive, hepatocellular, and hemolytic. Obstructive jaundice is caused by some form of obstruction, such as gallstones or cancer, that prevents the bile produced from reaching the intestines. The term hepatocellular refers to the cells of the liver. Hepatocellular jaundice occurs when liver cells are damaged or diseased and unable to process bilirubin, causing it to build up in the bloodstream.
Hemolytic jaundice is the result of high levels of bilirubin in the blood due to hemolysis. These high levels of waste products exceed the liver’s ability to process and transport them and can cause the symptoms of jaundice. Newborns often show symptoms of hemolytic jaundice.
Newborns may develop jaundice two to five years after birth because the liver has not fully matured. The condition is known as neonatal or physiologic jaundice. After a baby is born, fetal red blood cells are destroyed and are replaced with blood cells similar to those of an adult. The immature liver cannot process all the bilirubin and symptoms of jaundice appear. Jaundice occurs in more than half of all children.
Newborn jaundice is normal and does not harm the baby. It disappears once the liver matures. If jaundice symptoms are present at birth, however, it could be caused by a much more serious problem. Some birth defects can impair bile removal or cause excess production.
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