Jaundice in adults

Jaundice in adults

In jaundice, the skin and whites of the eyes appear yellow. Jaundice occurs when there is too much bilirubin (yellow pigment) in the blood (a condition called hyperbilirubinemia). When it is formed. Bilirubin is carried to the liver by the bloodstream, combined with bile in the liver. Bilirubin is then transported through the bile ducts to the digestive tract for removal from the body.

Most bilirubin is removed from feces, but small amounts are removed from urine. If bilirubin does not travel quickly through the liver and bile ducts, it builds up in the blood and deposits on the skin. The result is jaundice.

In many people with jaundice, the skin is dull and the stool is bright. These changes occur when bilirubin is not removed from the stool because of obstruction or other problems, which causes more bilirubin to be removed from the urine.

When bilirubin levels are high, substances that form when bile is broken down can accumulate, causing itching throughout the body. But jaundice itself causes a few other symptoms in adults. However, elevated bilirubin levels (hyperbilirubinemia) in newborns with jaundice can lead to a kind of brain damage called nuclear jaundice. Many diseases that cause jaundice also cause other symptoms or serious problems. These symptoms may include nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain, and small spider-shaped blood vessels (spider hemangiomas) that are visible on the skin. Men may have symptoms such as breast enlargement, testicular splitting, and female pubic hair.
Reticulum angioma
Reticulum angioma
Reticulum angioma

Severe problems can include:

    Revenge: Fluids Accumulated in the Abdomen

    Coagulation: Bleeding or bruising tendency

    Hepatic encephalopathy: Decreased brain function caused by liver dysfunction, where toxic substances accumulate in the blood and reach the brain causing changes in mental function (e.g. chaos and drowsiness)

    Portal hypertension: A high blood pressure in the veins that delivers blood to the liver, which can cause bleeding from the esophagus and sometimes from the stomach.

Eating large amounts of beta-carotene-rich foods (such as carrots, zucchini, and some melons) may make your skin look light yellow, but your eyes won't turn yellow. This condition is not jaundice and is not associated with liver disease

Causes of Jaundice

Jaundice is caused by many causes. Most causes are associated with diseases and drugs that cause the following problems:

    Liver damage

    Bile flow obstruction

    Causes red blood cell destruction (hemolysis), thus producing more bilirubin than the liver can handle



The most common causes of jaundice are:

    hepatitis

    Alcoholic liver disease

    Bile duct obstruction by gallstones (typical) or tumor

    Toxic reaction to drugs or herbs

hepatitis

Hepatitis damages the liver, which reduces the ability of the liver to send bilirubin into the bile ducts. Hepatitis can be acute (short duration) or chronic (lasting at least six months). Hepatitis is usually caused by a virus. Acute viral hepatitis is a common cause of jaundice, especially in young or healthy people. Sometimes hepatitis is caused by an autoimmune disease or the use of certain drugs. If hepatitis is caused by an autoimmune disease or drug, it is not possible to spread from person to person.

Alcoholic liver disease

Ingestion of large amounts of alcohol over a long period of time will damage the liver. The amount and time of alcohol required to cause damage can vary, but you should generally consume enormous amounts of at least 8-10 months. Other drugs, toxins, and some herbal products can also damage the liver (causes and characteristics of jaundice).

Bile duct obstruction

If the bile ducts are blocked, bilirubin can build up in the blood. Most blockages are caused by gallstones, but some are caused by cancer (such as pancreatic or bile duct cancer) or, in rare cases, by liver disease (such as primary biliary cholangitis or primary sclerosing cholangitis).

Other Causes Of Jaundice

Uncommon causes of jaundice include hereditary disorders that interfere with how the body treats bilirubin. Such disorders include Gilbert's syndrome and other less common disorders such as Dubin Johnson Syndrome. In Gilbert's syndrome, bilirubin levels increase slightly, but generally do not increase to the extent of jaundice. This disorder is most often detected during regular screening tests for adolescents. This disorder does not cause other symptoms and other problems.
Evaluation of Jaundice

If jaundice is evident, doctors, blood tests, and sometimes other tests are needed to determine the cause.
Warning signs

In people with jaundice, the following symptoms are a cause for concern:

    Severe abdominal pain and tenderness

    Mental dysfunction, such as drowsiness, irritability, or confusion

    Blood in feces or tartar in dark brown

    Vomiting blood

    Heat

    Bruising or bleeding tendency that can lead to a mauve rash with very small spots or large speckles (which indicates bleeding in the skin).

If you need to see a doctor

If you have warning symptoms, see your doctor as soon as possible. If there are no warning signs, you should see a doctor within a few days.
What the doctor does

Doctors first ask questions about the patient's symptoms and medical history. After that, a physical examination is done. Usually, the findings from the medical history and physical examination determine the cause and the necessary tests are also based on the cause and characteristics of jaundice.

Your doctor will ask when jaundice began and how long it lasted. Also ask when urine began to look dark (this usually happens before jaundice appears). The patient is asked about other symptoms such as itching, fatigue, stool changes, abdominal pain, etc. Doctors are particularly interested in symptoms that indicate a serious cause. For example, symptoms such as sudden loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, and fever may indicate that hepatitis is particularly present in young people and people at risk for the liver. Fever and severe persistent pain in the upper right part of the abdomen usually indicates acute cholangitis (biliary duct inflammation) in people with obstruction of the bile ducts. Acute cholangitis is considered a medical emergency.

Your doctor may tell you whether you have liver disease, have had surgery for your bile ducts, or are you taking drugs that can cause jaundice (including other herbal products like alcohol, over-the-counter, medicinal herbs, tea, etc.). Ask questions. Checking if family members also have jaundice or other liver disorders can help your doctor identify hereditary liver disease.

Because hepatitis is a common cause, doctors especially increase the risk of hepatitis