Jaundice is a condition in which the skin and the whites of the eyes are yellowed. Jaundice appears when the normal process of red blood cell death and elimination encounters a problem. MedlinePlus explains that, normally, about 1 percent of red blood cells go out of circulation each day as new ones are made. These cells are broken down and bilirubin is created as a by-product. The bilirubin is handled by the liver as it heads to the intestines for its departure via a bowel movement. When this process is altered, bilirubin builds in the blood and is deposited into the skin and whites of the eyes.
Pancreatic Cancer
Often, pancreatic cancer affects the head of the pancreas, causing it to partially or totally obstruct the common bile duct, a duct that carries bilirubin and other bile contents from the liver and eventually to the intestine.
Hemolytic Anemia
Hemolytic anemia is a condition in which too many red blood cells are destroyed each day. As a result, the system that handles bilirubin, the by-product of the destruction, becomes overloaded and bilirubin levels in the blood begin to rise, leading to jaundice.
Malaria
The parasites found in malaria cause the destruction of large numbers of red blood cells, leading to the buildup of bilirubin in the bloodstream. Some of the bilirubin ends up in the skin and the whites of the eyes as jaundice.
Alcoholic Cirrhosis
Chronic alcohol abuse can cause a type of liver damage called alcoholic cirrhosis. This can leave the liver unable to keep up with its duties in ridding the body of bilirubin, allowing it to circulate at high levels in the bloodstream. This causes the symptoms of jaundice.
Viral Hepatitis
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Hepatitis D and Hepatitis E all cause liver inflammation that can lead to jaundice, explains MedlinePlus. Other viruses that attack the liver sometimes cause this symptom as well.
Non-Infectious Hepatitis
The liver can become inflamed for reasons other than a virus. In particular, drugs can stress or permanently damage the liver, impairing its ability to process bilirubin. Occasionally, the body's own immune system itself attacks the liver, a condition called auto-immune hepatitis, leading to jaundice and other health problems.
Blocked Bile Duct
Occasionally, a blocked bile duct is found to be responsible for someone's jaundice. The Merck Manuals Online Medical Library explains that a tumor or a gallstone can block this duct. An infection in the area can also cause this blockage, leading to increased bilirubin in the bloodstream and resulting in jaundice.
References
- MedlinePlus: Jaundice
- Merck Manuals Online Medical Library: Home Edition: Jaundice
- "Medical-Surgical Nursing"; Donna Ignatavicius, M.S., R.N. and Linda Workman, Ph.D., R.N.; 2002
