Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellow color in the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow color comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jaundice is a sign of other diseases.

This article discusses the possible causes of jaundice in children and adults. Newborn jaundiceoccurs in very young infants.

Information

Jaundice is often a sign of a problem with the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. Jaundice can occur when too much bilirubin builds up in the body. This may happen when:

·         There are too many red blood cells dying or breaking down and going to the liver.

·         The liver is overloaded or damaged.

·         The bilirubin from the liver is unable to properly move into the digestive tract.

Conditions that can cause jaundice include:

·         Infections of the liver from a virus (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E) or a parasite

·         Use of certain drugs (such as an overdose of acetaminophen) or exposure to poisons

·         Birth defects or disorders present since birth that makes it hard for the body to breakdown bilirubin (such as Gilbert syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndrome)

·         Liver damage

·         Gallstones or gallbladder disorders

·         Blood disorders

·         Cancer of the pancreas

·         Bile build-up in the gallbladder because of pressure in the belly area during pregnancy (jaundice of pregnancy)

Alternative Names

Causes of jaundice

 Source: https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/007491.htm