Jaundice is yellowing of your skin and the whites of your eyes. It's caused by a pigment, or coloring, called bilirubin. This comes from the breakdown of red blood cells. When your liver is healthy, it removes the pigment from your blood. But if the liver isn't working right, pigment can build up in the blood. Then it can get into the skin and other tissues.
Many diseases can cause jaundice. These include hepatitis, gallstones, and cancer of the pancreas. Liver damage from heavy drinking over a long time can also cause it. Some medicines can cause jaundice. And jaundice can be caused by the rapid destruction of red blood cells (hemolytic anemia).
The treatment for jaundice depends on the cause. You may need medicine to treat an infection. Or you may need to have your gallbladder removed. Some people need to stop drinking alcohol. If another disease is causing jaundice, treating the disease usually takes care of the jaundice. If a medicine you take is causing jaundice, your doctor may switch you to another one.
Jaundice is a condition in which the skin and whites of the eyes appear yellow because of the buildup of a yellow-brown pigment called bilirubin in the blood and skin.
Bilirubin is produced by the breakdown of red blood cells. The liver normally gets rid of bilirubin in bile (a fluid that helps the body digest fats).
Excess amounts of bilirubin can build up because of rapid destruction of red blood cells, liver diseases (such as hepatitis), blockage of the bile ducts leading from the gallbladder to the small intestine, or other problems. Bilirubin can be measured in the blood, where it is one indicator of a person's liver function.
Other symptoms that may occur as a result of excess bilirubin include dark urine, light-colored or whitish stools, and itching of the skin (pruritis).
If successful, treatment for the underlying cause of jaundice may cause the skin, eyes, urine, and stools to return to their normal color.
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