(Hyperbilirubinemia)
Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin, whites of eyes and mucous membranes. This discoloration results from a build-up in the blood of bilirubin (a pigment produced when the haemoglobin in worn-out red blood cells is broken down so that its iron can be recycled to make new blood cells.
Normally, the liver metabolizes and converts bilirubin into substances that are transported with bile into the intestinal tract to be eliminated. These by-products give feces its brown color.
Thus, jaundice is typically accompanied by light stools (lack of bilirubin) and dark urine, resulting from the kidneys' attempt to eliminate excess bilirubin from the body.
Various conditions can cause the bulidup of bilirubin and different types of jaundice, including the following:
Haemolytic Jaundice:
develops when an unusually large number of red blood cells are destroyed at the same time and the liver is unable to metabolize all of the resulting bilirubin.
Obstructive Jaundice:
or cholestasis, occurs when the bile ducts to the intestine are blocked, causing the bilirubin to be reabsorbed into the blood stream.
Hepatic Jaundice:
is caused by hepatitis and other disorders that not only reduce the liver's ability to process bilirubin, but also produce inflammation, which blocks bile channel and prevents the exit of bile that is processed.
Neonatal Jaundice:
often develops in the first few days of life because of the liver's immaturity. About half of all newborns develop this type of jaundice. It usually clears up by the time a baby is 7 to 10 days old but may linger in premature infants. Mild jaundice is not serious, but very high bilirubin levels may require treatment.
