Health
Information On Jaundice
Jaundice is not a disease in and of itself, but a sign that the liver is having a problem handling bilirubin as it should. The liver makes bilirubin from dying red blood cells and other sources. It then converts bilirubin into bile, which has several purposes, among them the digestion of fatty acids and neutralization of stomach acid. If there is too much bilirubin for the liver to deal with, or if the liver’s functioning is compromised, jaundice can result.It is caused by high levels in blood of the chemical bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells. The color of the skin and sclerae vary depending on the level of bilirubin. When the bilirubin level is mildly elevated, they are yellowish. When the bilirubin level is high, they tend to be brown. It is usually processed by the liver and excreted in the baby’s stool.
Causes:
More than half of all newborn infants experience what is called physiological jaundice, the consequence of an inexperienced liver suddenly being required to function on its own. In the womb, a fetus’s blood passes through the mother’s liver, which disposes of any excess bilirubin. After birth, however, the newborn’s liver has to handle the job alone, and sometimes it takes time for the new organ to get up to speed. In these cases, the infant is placed periodically under a sun lamp. In rare cases, excessive amounts of bilirubin can damage the child’s brain. For this reason, and because it may be a symptom of a serious underlying problem, jaundice should never be ignored.
Treatment
With the exception of the treatments for specific causes of jaundice mentioned previously, the treatment of jaundice usually requires a diagnosis of the specific cause of the jaundice and treatment directed at the specific cause, e.g., removal of a gallstone blocking the bile duct.
