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Jaundice
Introduction
Jaundice is yellowish discoloration of eyes, skin and mucus membrane. Jaundice is a symptom and not a disease. Jaundice is caused by    various diseases such   as liver
problem, high blood levels of pigment bilirubin, which is the  breakdown product of red blood cells, or due to obstruction in the passage of bile duct. Commonest cause of jaundice in day to day life is due to viral hepatitis. Viral Hepatitis is caused by various viruses like Hepatitis A, B, C, D, E. Sometimes yellowish discoloration of skin  occurs  due
to excess of carotene due to eating carotene-containing food like carrots. There are certain drugs, which have side effect causing jaundice.
Jaundice in newborn:
Sometimes jaundice seen in newborn is commonly caused by breakdown of excess of red blood cells.This is known as physiological jaundice, which disappears in a few days time (10-15 days). It can be treated by phototherapy (exposing child to sunlight). Apart from physiological jaundice there are other causes of jaundice in a newborn like Rh- incompatibility, ABO group incompatibility, mother's milk allergy, etc.
 

Types of Jaundice:
bullet.gif (256 bytes) Due to excess red blood cell breakdown
bullet.gif (256 bytes) Liver cell damage
bullet.gif (256 bytes) Bile duct obstruction
 

Due to excess red blood cell breakdown:
In a healthy person the red blood cell life span is 120 days after which they are removed from the blood and broken down into bilirubin. If the number of red blood cells breaking down is above normal, the liver cannot process the large amount of bilirubin produced. This is called haemolytic jaundice and may result from disorders such as heamolytic anemia in which the life span of RBC is shorter than normal. This is accompanied by symptoms of fatigue.

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Liver cell damage:
If the liver is damaged, its ability to produce bilirubin is reduced. Liver damage can occur due to hepatitis, alcohol abuse and adverse reaction to some drugs. Jaundice due to liver damage is accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and pain in the abdomen.

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Bile duct obstruction:
An obstruction in the bile duct, a channel through which the bile leaves the liver, may result in jaundice. Obstruction may occur due to disorders such as gallstones and pancreatic disorders. If these ducts are blocked, bile builds up in the liver and bilirubin is forced back into the blood. This type of jaundice may be accompanied by itching, dark coloured urine and lighter than normal faeces.

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