Adult Jaundice: Symptoms, Treatment and Prevention

Adult jaundice:

When your skin or the whites of your eyes turn yellow, you have jaundice. You should seek emergency medical attention since it might be a sign of something serious, such as liver disease.

Jaundice is a symptom of underlying health issues rather than an illness in and of itself.

 Describe jaundice:

The illness known as jaundice causes the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera (the whites of the eyes) to turn yellow. The liver secretes a fluid called bile. Red blood cells are broken down to produce bilirubin.

When the body produces too much bilirubin or when the liver is harmed and unable to eliminate bilirubin from the body, jaundice develops. Jaundice patients may also have stomach aches, nausea, fever, weight loss, or itching in addition to their yellow complexion. Additionally, they could observe that the color of their urine or stools changes.

Why does jaundice occur?

Any one of the three steps in the synthesis of bilirubin can go wrong and result in jaundice.

You can experience what's known as unconjugated jaundice, which is elevated bilirubin levels brought on by:

Resorption of a significant hematoma (a collection of clotted or partially clotted blood under the skin).

Anemias with hemolysis (blood cells are destroyed and removed from the bloodstream before their normal lifespan is over).

Jaundice may develop during bilirubin production from:

• Hepatitis A, chronic Hepatitis B, and C, and Epstein-Barr virus infection are examples of viruses (infectious mononucleosis).
• Alcohol.
• Autoimmune illnesses.
• Rare metabolic genetic abnormalities.
• Prescription drugs, such as acetaminophen toxicity, penicillin, oral contraceptives, chlorpromazine (Thorazine®), and anabolic or estrogenic steroids.
• Jaundice may result from obstruction (blockage) of the bile ducts after bilirubin is created from:
• Gallstones.
• Gallbladder inflammation (swelling).
• Bile duct cancer
• Tumor in the pancreas.

 Symptoms :

Jaundice may occasionally go unnoticed by the patient until it is discovered by accident. The underlying reasons and how fast or slowly the disease progresses determine how severe the symptoms are.

The following symptoms and indicators could be present if you have short-term jaundice, which is typically brought on by an infection:

• Fever.
• Chills.
• Abdominal discomfort
• Influenza-like symptoms.
• Skin tone modification.
• Feces pale 
• Urine that is a dark color.

If an infection is not the source of your jaundice, you may experience symptoms including weight loss or itchy skin (pruritus). Abdominal discomfort is the most typical symptom of pancreatic or biliary tract malignancies are the cause of  jaundice. Jaundice associated with liver illness can occasionally occur if you have:

• Liver inflammation or chronic hepatitis
• Gangrenous pyoderma (a type of skin disease).
• Hepatitis A, B, or C that is acute.
• Polyarthralgias (inflammation of the joints).

How can jaundice be identified?

When diagnosing jaundice, medical professionals look for indicators of liver illness like:

• The skin getting bruised.
• Insect angiomas (abnormal collection of blood vessels near the surface of the skin).
• Redness on the palms (red coloration of the palms and fingertips).

Conjugated jaundice is indicated by a positive bilirubin result from a urine test, or urine analysis. Serum tests should be used to corroborate the results of the urinalysis. The complete blood count (CBC) and bilirubin levels will be part of the serum testing.

The size and tenderness of your liver will also be assessed during an examination by your doctor. To further confirm the diagnosis, he or she may employ imaging techniques including liver biopsies and computer tomographic (CT) scanning (ultrasonography and CT scanning, respectively).

Treatment:

How is biliary jaundice handled?

With adults, jaundice typically doesn't need treatment (in neonates, it can be a far more serious issue). Treatment options exist for both jaundice's causes and consequences. 

 For various autoimmune diseases. For instance, lactulose and diuretics may be necessary for the treatment of certain cirrhosis patients.

The underlying reason determines the exact course of treatment for jaundice. The proper course of treatment can then be started once a diagnosis has been made. Some patients will need to be admitted to the hospital, while others can be treated as outpatients at home.

What are some of the drawbacks or adverse effects of jaundice treatments?

• Constipation.
• Bloating.
• A stomachache.
• Gas.
• Uneasy stomach.
• Vomiting.
• Diarrhea.

Prevention:

It's challenging to provide specific preventive actions for jaundice because there are numerous causes. Voici a few general pointers:

• Avert contracting hepatitis.
• Observe the prescribed alcohol intake limitations.
• keep a healthy weight.
• Control your cholesterol levels.