Jaundice is “a condition characterized by yellowness of skin, whites of eyes, mucous membranes and body fluids due to deposition of bilirubin in the blood,” according to Taber’s Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary. Several possible causes of jaundice exist, one of which is gallstones, which develop in the gallbladder.
Function
The gallbladder is a sac attached to the liver. Its primary role is to store and concentrate bile, which is formed in the liver, transferred to the gallbladder for storage and released into the small intestines as needed to aid in digestion of fatty foods. The gallbladder releases the bile through the cystic duct into the common bile duct, which drains into the first section of the small intestines.
Features
An important ingredient of bile is cholesterol. For some reason that is not understood, cholesterol may begin to crystallize into a white, wax-like material and form stones. When these stones are small, they may pass through the ducts into the intestines and cause no problems. When they are larger and get stuck in the duct, blocking it so the bile cannot flow through, they cause trouble. The yellow color of bile comes from bilirubin, which is formed in the liver from old red blood cells.
Cause
When bile is not able to flow through the ducts into the intestines, the gallbladder continues to fill, stretching it beyond its capacity. This causes tremendous pain, nausea and vomiting. As the bile builds up in the gall bladder, it begins to be absorbed into the bloodstream. As the bilirubin levels in the blood build up, the skin, whites of the eyes, mucous membranes and body fluids such as urine begin to turn yellow. The more bilirubin there is in the blood, the darker yellow to yellow-green to orange these areas become.
Effects
The deposits of bilirubin in the skin may cause intense itching. The increased bilirubin circulating in the blood may cause bleeding problems by interfering with the normal clotting mechanism. When bile is blocked from the intestines completely, the stools will be a clay color because they lack bile. At the same time, urine will be dark yellow-orange because the bilirubin is being excreted through the kidneys.
Treatment/Prevention
The most common treatment is surgery to remove the gallbladder and open the ducts so the bile can reach the intestines. This might be emergency surgery if the bile ducts have been blocked.
The Mayo Clinic offers a number of preventive measures for gallstones. They suggest you not skip meals, but eat at about the same time each day. Exercise is also important. If you are dieting, don’t lose your weight too rapidly. Slow and steady weight loss is healthier. It is also important to maintain a healthy weight.
References
- "Tabor's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary"; Dr. Clayton Thomas; 1989
- "Health Assessment and Physical Examination"; Mary Ellen Sator Estes; 1997
- MayoClinic.com: Gallstones
- MedlinePlus: Jaundice-yellow skin
