What causes jaundice in adults? & bull; hello healthy

Jaundice is often associated with newborns. However, have you ever encountered this condition in adults? Usually the skin and the whites of the eyes will turn yellow. Is it dangerous, and what causes jaundice in adults?

What is jaundice?

Jaundice aka jaundice is a condition that makes the skin turn yellow. Not only that, the white in your eyes will turn yellow. In severe cases, the white color may also turn brown or orange. Usually, jaundice is experienced by babies, but it does not rule out that adults will also experience it.

Jaundice is caused by a substance called bilirubin excess in the blood and body tissues. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that is formed from dead red blood cells in the liver. Normally, the liver removes bilirubin along with old red blood cells. Any condition that interferes with the transfer of bilirubin from the blood to the liver or out of the body can cause jaundice.

What are the symptoms of jaundice?

Jaundice can be indicated as a serious problem for the function of the white blood cells, liver, pancreas or gallbladder. In addition to changes in the eyes and skin, signs can include dark urine and pale stools. If you think jaundice is caused by hepatitis, then you will experience other symptoms such as weakness and nausea.

Even though the skin turns yellow, not all conditions that lead to these changes can be identified as jaundice. Some people get a misdiagnosis when they have yellow skin. According to one patient who had this condition, when someone had it, it was possible that the yellow discoloration was found on the eyes and on the skin at the same time. If you only have yellow skin, it may be due to excess beta carotene in your system.

Beta carotene is an antioxidant, usually found in yellow or orange vegetables, such as carrots, sweet potatoes, and sweet potatoes. Although eating too much beta carotene can temporarily change your skin color, eating too much of these vegetables will not make you develop jaundice.

Various causes of jaundice in adults

The liver may be damaged, so it can't process bilirubin. Sometimes bilirubin cannot enter the digestive system so it is excreted through defecation. But in other cases, a lot of bilirubin is trying to get into the liver at the same time. This condition can cause health problems in the body. There are three types of jaundice, depending on the part of the body that is affected by the movement of the bilirubin. The following are the types, with their respective causes:

Causes of pre-hepatic jaundice

This condition occurs when an infection occurs which accelerates the breakdown of red blood cells. This damage can cause an increase in the level of bilirubin in the blood, leading to jaundice. Causes of pre-hepatic jaundice:

• Malaria - this infection spreads in the blood.
• Sickle cell anemia - an inherited blood disorder in which red blood cells form abnormally. Thalassemia can also lead to the risk of jaundice.
• Crigler-Najjar syndrome - a genetic syndrome in which the body loses an enzyme that helps move bilirubin from the blood.
• Inherited spherocytosis - a genetic condition that causes red blood cells to form abnormally so that they don't last long.

Causes of post-hepatic jaundice

This condition is usually triggered when the bile duct is damaged, inflamed, or blocked. The result is that the gallbladder is unable to move bile into the digestive system. The following can cause this condition:

• Gallstones - block the pancreatic cancer bile duct system
• Pancreatitis or gallbladder cancer - inflammation of the pancreas, which can lead to acute pancreatitis (lasting for several days) or chronic pancreatitis (lasting for several years)

Causes of intra-hepatic jaundice

This jaundice occurs when there is a problem in the liver - for example, damage from infection or alcohol. This interferes with the liver's ability to process bilirubin. The following are possible causes of this disease:

• Hepatitis A, B, C viruses
• Liver disease (liver damage) caused by drinking too much alcohol
• Leptospirosis - an infection transmitted through animals such as rats
• Glandular fever - infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus; This virus is found in the saliva of infected people and is spread through kissing, coughing, and sharing unwashed food utensils
• Drug abuse - taking paracetamol or excessive ecstasy
• Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) - a rare condition that can cause further liver damage
• Gilbert's Syndrome - a common genetic syndrome in which the liver has problems breaking down normal levels of bilirubin
• Heart cancer
• Excessive use of substances that are known to cause liver damage, such as phenol (used in plastic manufacturing), carbon tetrachloride (previously used as in the cooling process)
• Autoimmune hepatitis - a rare condition in which the immune system starts attacking the liver

How is jaundice diagnosed?

The doctor will give a bilirubin test to find out how much is in the blood. If you have jaundice, it is likely that your bilirubin levels will be high. Some of the tests that may be done are liver function tests, complete blood count (CBC) - is done to find out if you have evidence of hemolytic anemia and a liver biopsy.

How does jaundice work?

Jaundice itself is not actually a disease, but is a symptom of another disease that you are experiencing. So to treat it, you must know what the root of the condition is. If you have hepatitis, your skin turns yellow and the way to deal with it is to treat the hepatitis disease.