How To identify Jaundice With Their Symptoms

Jaundice is listed as one of the top 5 illnesses that are common during the summer season. The unbearable heat and soaring temperatures induces constant thirst, increasing your chances of drinking contaminated fluids. Jaundice is mostly commonly caused by Hepatitis A virus that is spread through infected or contaminated water. But, it is also seen in several other diseases affecting the liver. So, the signs vary depending on the actual cause of jaundice. Here are some common, early signs of jaundice that you should be aware about:

1. Yellowing of the skin and eyes: The term jaundice is derived from the French word ‘jaune’ that means yellow. Yellowing of the skin and the sclera of the eyes is a characteristic sign of jaundice. This discolouration takes place due to high levels of bilirubin, a pigment that is produced by destruction of red blood cells (RBCs) in the liver. So, any disease that affects the normal functioning of liver may also lead to abnormally high levels of bilirubin that gets accumulated in the skin and eye tissues.

2. Dark urine: Normally, the RBCs are converted to bilirubin and further modified to a pigment called bile that is excreted out of the body through urine. With abnormal levels of bilirubin, the amount of bile pigment excreted through urine also increases. This makes the urine dark in colour.

3. Pale stools: In a healthy individual with normal bilirubin level, a significant amount of bile is also excreted through the feces. But in a person suffering from jaundice, excessive amount of bilirubin is excreted mainly through urine and the rest circulates throughout the body via the blood stream to get deposited in various body tissues. This makes the stool discoloured or gray in colour.

4. Stomach pain: Jaundice may also result due to obstruction of bilirubin or bile in the bile duct. Obstruction is commonly seen with gallstone formation or due to infection or inflammation of the bile duct. It causes the pigment to get accumulated to a high level. Many people with obstruction of the flow of bile due to gallstones suffer abdominal pain. The pain is generally experienced on the right side of the stomach just below the rib cage.

5. Excessive fatigue: Fatigue is common in people who suffer from jaundice due to disease of the bile duct. It is commonly associated with primary biliary cirrhosis, primary sclerosing cholangitis and vanishing bile duct syndrome (drug induced liver injury).

6. Vomiting: Obstructive jaundice may also cause vomiting and nausea. It may further lead to complications if not treated properly.

7. Pruritis (itching): Itching is commonly seen in individuals suffering from jaundice due to cholestasis (obstruction of flow of bile to the intestine). Itching may first begin in the hands and the feet. It later gets generalized all over the body and may become worse at night.

8. Sleep disturbances: Sleep problems and emotional distress is also quite common in adults with jaundice.

Painless jaundice:

Jaundice without abdominal pain may indicate obstruction of the bile duct. In such cases, apart from yellowing of the skin, signs like weight loss, anorexia and soft or loose stools may be associated with jaundice.

Neonatal jaundice:

Jaundice in newborns or neonatal jaundice is quite different from adult jaundice. Babies don’t suffer from jaundice because of liver disease or damage to the liver. Liver in babies is not matured to a level that it can eliminate bilirubin as effectively as an adult liver. This causes accumulation of bilirubin in the blood resulting in jaundice. Sometimes, the baby might produce antibodies against RBCs, causing the break down of hemoglobin to raise bilirubin level of the blood. Common signs of neonatal jaundice include yellowing of the skin and eyes, sleepiness, poor feeding and high pitched cry.