Learn About Jaundice
Jaundice is a yellow color of the skin, mucus membranes, or eyes. The yellow coloring comes from bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. Jaundice can be a symptom of several health problems.
Conditions associated with jaundice; Yellow skin and eyes; Skin - yellow; Icterus; Eyes - yellow; Yellow jaundice
A small number of red blood cells in your body die each day, and are replaced by new ones. The liver removes the old blood cells. This creates bilirubin. The liver helps break down bilirubin so that it can be removed by the body through the stool.
Jaundice can occur when too much bilirubin builds up in the body.
Jaundice can occur if:
- Too many red blood cells are dying or breaking down and going to the liver.
- The liver is overloaded or damaged.
- The bilirubin from the liver is unable to move normally into the digestive tract.
Jaundice is often a sign of a problem with the liver, gallbladder, or pancreas. Things that can cause jaundice include:
- Infections, most commonly viral
- Use of certain drugs
- Cancer of the liver, bile ducts or pancreas
- Blood disorders, gallstones, birth defects and a number of other medical conditions
Jaundice may appear suddenly or develop slowly over time. Symptoms of jaundice commonly include:
- Yellow skin and the white part of the eyes (sclera) -- when jaundice is more severe, these areas may look brown
- Yellow color inside the mouth
- Dark or brown-colored urine
- Pale or clay-colored stools
- Itching (pruritis) usually occurs with jaundice
Note: If your skin is yellow and the whites of your eyes are not yellow, you may not have jaundice. Your skin can turn a yellow-to-orange color if you eat a lot of beta carotene, the orange pigment in carrots.
Other symptoms depend on the disorder causing the jaundice:
- Cancers may produce no symptoms, or there may be fatigue, weight loss, or other symptoms.
- Hepatitis may produce nausea, vomiting, fatigue, or other symptoms.
Treatment depends on the cause of the jaundice.
Innovis Health LLC
Ashley Wilke is a Family Medicine provider in Fargo, North Dakota. Dr. Wilke and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Jaundice. Her top areas of expertise are Vertigo, Type 2 Diabetes (T2D), Hypercalcemia, and Idiopathic Hypercalciuria. Dr. Wilke is currently accepting new patients.
Innovis Health LLC
Fadel Nammour is a Gastroenterologist in Fargo, North Dakota. Dr. Nammour and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Jaundice. His top areas of expertise are Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Turcot Syndrome, Gardner Syndrome, Endoscopy, and Colonoscopy. Dr. Nammour is currently accepting new patients.
Sanford Medical Center Fargo
Syed Zaidi is a Gastroenterologist in West Fargo, North Dakota. Dr. Zaidi and is rated as an Experienced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Jaundice. His top areas of expertise are Familial Adenomatous Polyposis, Bile Duct Obstruction, Gardner Syndrome, Endoscopy, and Gastrectomy.
Contact your provider if you develop jaundice.
Summary: The purpose of this study is to assess the long-term safety and effectiveness of odevixibat in participants with Alagille syndrome (ALGS). The participants of this study will have ALGS a rare genetic disorder that can affect multiple organ systems of the body including the liver, heart, skeleton, eyes and kidneys. Common symptoms, which often develop during the first three months of life, include ...
Summary: According to the WHO, pain is an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience, linked to existing or potential tissue damage, or described in terms suggestive of such damage. It is a legal obligation to evaluate and take care of it (law of 03/04/2022). However, there are still areas where this is not addressed, particularly in cirrhotic patients (Piano V et al. 2023). The global prevalence of cirrh...
Published Date: May 02, 2023
Published By: Michael M. Phillips, MD, Emeritus Professor of Medicine, The George Washington University School of Medicine, Washington, DC. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Fargo MV, Grogan SP, Saquil A. Evaluation of jaundice in adults. Am Fam Physician. 2017;95(3):164-168. PMID: 28145671 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28145671/.
Korenblat KM, Berk PD. Approach to the patient with jaundice or abnormal liver tests. In: Goldman L, Schafer AI, eds. Goldman-Cecil Medicine. 26th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 138.
Lidofsky SD. Jaundice. In: Feldman M, Friedman LS, Brandt LJ, eds. Sleisenger and Fordtran's Gastrointestinal and Liver Disease: Pathophysiology/Diagnosis/Management. 11th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2021:chap 21.
Zdradzinski MJ, Taylor TA. Jaundice. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 24.