Coping with… JAUNDICE
This is a clinical sign of yellow pigmentation of skin, eyes and mucous membranes
Jaundice results from raised blood and tissue levels of bilirubin, a by-product of broken-down red blood cells, usually managed by the liver and passed out in bile. It can be caused by many disorders, ranging from benign (such as Gilbert’s syndrome, a genetic variation) to life-threatening (such as pancreatic cancer). Its diagnosis will depend on a mixture of the history, examination, and blood, urine and radiological tests.
Causes are categorised as pre-hepatic, intra-hepatic or post-hepatic (obstructive), depending on whether there’s an excess breakdown of cells, the liver
