Jaundice is a condition where the skin and eyes turn yellow due to excessive bilirubin in the body. There are three main types: pre-hepatic, hepatic, and post-hepatic, as well as physiological or neonatal jaundice. These types indicate when jaundice occurred and can help diagnose the underlying condition. Pre-hepatic jaundice is caused by increased red blood cell breakdown, hepatic jaundice is caused by liver damage or inflammation, and post-hepatic jaundice is caused by a blockage in the intestines.
There are many types of jaundice, but the three main types are pre-hepatic, hepatic and post-hepatic. These types do not indicate stages and do not mean that the next type is more dangerous than the previous one, but only indicate when jaundice occurred: before, after, or while the liver is converting insoluble bilirubin to soluble. In addition to these types of jaundice, another common type is physiological or neonatal jaundice, which is often experienced by newborns as their system is still immature and cannot clear bilirubin as it should. It should be noted that these three types of jaundice should not be treated as diseases but rather as symptoms that indicate another disease, and finding out the specific type of jaundice can help diagnose a patient’s condition more accurately.
In general, jaundice is a condition or description of how a patient’s skin and eyes turn yellowish due to excessive amounts of bilirubin in the body. Bilirubin is actually one of many byproducts of the body’s activities, and under normal conditions, the liver regularly removes bilirubin from the blood using bile, another body fluid produced by the liver. If laboratory tests determine that a patient’s blood contains more than 1 mg/dL (more than 17µmol/L), the patient is said to have jaundice.
The prehepatic or hemolytic type of jaundice often involves red blood cells and their increased rate of breakdown or hemolysis. When too many red blood cells are dying or when the replacement of old red blood cells with new ones is not balanced, bilirubin is produced in excessive amounts and the liver cannot function as effectively. As a result, bilirubin remains in the bloodstream and causes jaundice. Pre-hepatic types of jaundice are often caused by genetic disorders such as sickle cell disease, parasitic diseases such as malaria, or by taking certain medications.
Jaundice classified as hepatic often occurs while the liver is currently processing bilirubin. In this case, liver cells are damaged or the liver is experiencing inflammation, which affects the way it works. The liver then cannot process the bilirubin, which increases in number and causes jaundice. Of the types of jaundice, the liver is most likely to be caused by hepatitis, along with excessive alcohol intake and certain medications. In some cases, jaundice can also be a result of cirrhosis, in which the liver has internal scarring that can inhibit its function.
In the post-hepatic type of jaundice, bilirubin is actually processed properly by the liver and becomes soluble, but it can’t travel through the intestines due to a blockage. As a result, bilirubin remains in the liver and cannot be excreted. The blockages are often attributed to gallstones, sometimes to cysts or tumors located in the liver, and also to pregnancy. These types of jaundice can be specifically determined through blood tests and obtaining urine and stool samples from the patient. For example, a patient with pre-hepatic jaundice will have abnormal blood results and dark colored stools, high levels of liver enzymes will be found in patients with hepatic jaundice, while a post-hepatic jaundice is characterized by dark urine.
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