Jaundice

Jaundice - a yellow discoloring of the skin, eyes and mucus membranes - is a symptom of many different diseases and conditions. It is caused by the orange-yellow pigment called bilirubin. Bilirubin is formed when red blood cells break down. The liver extracts bilirubin from the blood and then puts it into the bile, a substance that helps with digestion. (Read about "Digestive System") Most of the time bilirubin leaves the body in the stool. Problems with the liver (Read about "The Liver"), or problems that cause too many old red blood cells, can result in bilirubin not being filtered out of the blood. This results in jaundice.

Jaundice causes

Jaundice can result from a number of diseases and conditions, in both adults as well as children other than newborns. (For information on jaundice in newborns, see below) Blood diseases, gallbladder diseases and liver diseases can all result in jaundice. Some common of the causes can include:

• Autoimmune hepatitis (Read about autoimmune hepatitis in "The Liver")
• Cirrhosis (Read about "Cirrhosis")
• Gallstones (Read about "Gallstones")
• Hepatitis A (Read about "Hepatitis A")
• Hepatitis B (Read about "Hepatitis B")
• Hepatitis C (Read about "Hepatitis C")
• Hepatitis D (Read about "Hepatitis D")
• Hepatitis E (Read about "Hepatitis E")
• Liver cancer (Read about "Liver Cancer")
• Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (Read about nonalcoholic fatty liver disease in "The Liver")
• Pancreatic cancer (Read about "Pancreatic Cancer")
• Pancreatitis (Read about "Pancreatitis")
• Sickle cell disease (Read about "Sickle Cell Disease")

Blood tests, imaging tests such as CT and ultrasound, as well as liver biopsy can be used to determine the cause of the jaundice. (Read about "Laboratory Testing" "CT Scan - Computerized Tomography" "Ultrasound Imaging" "Biopsy") Treatment focuses on dealing with the condition or disease that is causing the jaundice.

Jaundice in newborns

Many newborn babies have some jaundice. When they are a few days old, their skin slowly begins to turn yellow. The yellow color comes from the color of bilirubin. When red blood cells die, they break down and bilirubin is left. It is normal for some of the red blood cells to die everyday. The red blood cells break down and make bilirubin. In newborns, the liver may not be developed enough to get rid of so much bilirubin at once. So, if too many red blood cells die at the same time, the baby can become very yellow or may even look orange. The yellow color does not hurt the baby's skin, but the bilirubin goes to the brain as well as to the skin. When there is too much, a condition called kernicterus results. That can lead to brain damage (Read about "The Brain"), according to the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) says that for the vast majority of infants, jaundice is benign, meaning it is of no danger. However, a small group (1-3 in 10,000) is in danger of developing high levels of bilirubin.

NCBDDD says some babies are more at risk of developing jaundice. They include:

• Babies whose sibling had jaundice have higher risk.
• Babies who have bruises at birth. As the bruises heal, red blood cells die releasing bilirubin.
• Babies born before 37 weeks, or 8 1/2 months, of pregnancy may become jaundiced because their liver may not be fully developed. (Read about "Stages of Pregnancy")
• Babies who do not eat much are more likely to get jaundice.
• Babies who are yellow in the first 24 hours of life may get dangerously jaundiced.
• A baby born to an East Asian or Mediterranean family is at a higher risk of becoming very jaundiced. Also, jaundice is harder to see in babies with darker skin tones.

AAP says the dangers of high bilirubin levels are very real and all cases of jaundice should be checked by a physician.

Treatment is often very simple, according to both NCBDDD and AAP. Placing the baby under blue or fluorescent light will lower the bilirubin levels. This is called phototherapy. If the jaundice is related to blood type differences between the baby and mother, intravenous transfusion of immunoglobulin may be used to reduce the reduce levels of antibodies. NCBDDD says in cases of severe jaundice that do not respond to other treatments, the doctor can do an exchange transfusion. The baby can then develop normally.

AAP says that though jaundice in babies is not unusual, it can be dangerous and should be brought to the attention of the baby's doctor right away.