Jaundice Health Video

Jaundice is a yellow discoloration of the skin and whites of the eyes due to an increase of bile pigments in the blood. Jaundice is often symptomatic of certain diseases, such as hepatitis. Learn about the different causes of, symptoms of, and treatments for jaundice in this medical video.

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Consult a doctor
Seek medical attention if jaundice is present
Determine the cause of the jaundice

About this Author

Dr. Susan McGladdery is a medical graduate from Oxford University in the UK and has a Master's Degree in Medical Sciences from Cambridge University. She has been a member of the Royal College of Physicians since 1991 and a member of the American Academy of Urgent Care since 2006. She trained as a Family Physician in the UK in Oxford and then in London. In a medical career that spans over 20 years, she has worked as a doctor in 5 countries on 3 continents and cared for patients from a multitude of different nationalities and backgrounds. Dr. McGladdery joined FirstMed Centers in mid 2002 and became Regional Medical Director in 2003.

SUSAN MCGLADERRY, BM, BCH, MRCP: Hello. My name is Dr. Susan McGladerry. I'm the medical director from FirstMed Centers in Budapest Hungary and I would like to give you a little bit of background information about jaundice. This is not a specific illness. It simply refers the yellow color of skin, the mucous membranes or the whites of the eyes. It comes from bilirubin, a yellow pigment that is a by product of old red blood cells. Normally about 1% of our red blood cells are replaced each day by fresh red blood cells. The old ones are processed in the liver and got rid of. Most of the resulting bilirubin from the breakdown of red blood cells leaves the body in the stool or feces, but if there are too many red blood cells for the liver to handle, yellow pigment builds up in the body, and when there is enough to be visible jaundice is present. What processes cause jaundice? Too many red blood cells may be removed from the circulation, for example when red blood cells are damaged by malaria infection, or if the liver is overloaded with damage by hepatitis, it can't work fast enough to clear the normal amount of red blood cells or if the process of bilirubin simply cannot get out of the liver through the biliary tract to the gut because of the presence, for example, of gallstones or a narrowing of the bile duct due to cancer. What are the causes of jaundice? There are many different causes in children and adults and they include things like blood incompatibility, certain blood diseases and genetic syndromes, infections such as hepatitis and Epstein-Barr virus, cirrhosis of the liver, blockage of bile duct, and other liver disorders. Also, medications can give rise to jaundice. How serious is the presence of jaundice? It really depends on the cause. There can be an underlying cancer, a dangerous medical problem or there can be a high risk of infection to other people as in the case of hepatitis B infection. So, what should you do if someone has jaundice? All jaundice whether in infants, children or adults needs to be medically evaluated. Always call your doctor if you find jaundice is present and the treatment of any case of jaundice will always be directed to find the course of the jaundice.