Jaundice is the condition of having yellow eyes and skin. It is not a typical symptom but one that should be alarming. There are many causes for jaundice, either related to the liver or to red blood cells.
Causes
Babies are born with a generous supply of red blood cells, which help transport oxygen. Over time, these red blood cells break down, forming bilirubin in the process.
Bilirubin is normally transported to the liver, where it’s processed before being eliminated from the body. But newborns initially have more bilirubin than their livers can handle, and the excess causes their skin and, sometimes, the whites of their eyes to turn yellow. This type of jaundice, called physiologic jaundice, typically appears on the second or third day of life.
Common Causes Of Jaundice:
Obstruction of bile ducts which can take place due to gallstones or inflammation of the liver
Malaria
Typhoid
Yellow fever
Tuberculosis
Once hemoglobin is in the red cells of the blood, it circulates for the life span of those cells. The hemoglobin that is released when the cells die is turned into bilirubin. If for any reason the RBCs die at a faster rate than usual, bilirubin can accumulate in the blood and cause jaundice.
Jaundice occurs when there is too many red blood cells destroyed and its waste product is too much for the liver to remove. Also, when the liver malfunctions and is not fit to remove the bilirubin in the blood, thus it accumulates in the blood. Lastly, blockage in the bile ducts that cause the flow of the bile and bilirubin to decrease.
There are other causes for jaundice, which are not quite as benign. A very rough birth, which has caused bruising to a baby or large hematomas, may cause jaundice within the first 24 hours after birth. Jaundice so early may also indicate infection or RH incompatibility. The latter two are serious matters that need to be brought to the attention of a physician right away. Usually babies are screened before leaving the hospital, but some women do leave before 24 hours has passed from the birth of their child. It’s a good idea to be watchful if you see jaundice in newborns within the first 24 hours, and to get the baby back to the doctor or hospital for testing.
The patient who presents with jaundice may have a variety of hepatobiliary or hematologic abnormalities, the causes of which can include hereditary disorders, acute or chronic hepatocellular disease, hemolytic disorders, or obstructive processes.1 A thorough history and physical examination provide the basis for choosing laboratory and radiologic studies that have the greatest diagnostic value while providing the safest and most cost-effective care.
Jaundice may cause to patients of all age groups. On certain cases the doctors are very cautious about this dreadful disease, when there is a major surgery and maternity cases. In those cases, the bilirubin tastes are conducted as a precautionary measure. To protect an individual from the attack of jaundice, every human being should emphasis on balanced food habits which is health nourishing and easily digestible.