Jaundice
By: Hannah Sprouse
Definition of Jaundice-
"a medical condition with yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes, arising from excess of the pigment bilirubin and typically caused by obstruction of the bile duct, by liver disease, or by excessive breakdown of red blood cells"
-(Usually a symptom of something else)
-http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001259/
Cause of Jaundice
"Bilirubin comes from red blood cells. When red blood cells get old, they are destroyed by the body. Hemoglobin, the iron-containing chemical in the red blood cells that carries oxygen, is released from the destroyed red blood cells after the iron it contains is removed. The chemical that remains in the blood after the iron is removed becomes bilirubin. Jaundice results from an excessive amount of red blood cells being broken down at once."
Symptoms of Jaundice
-yellowish tinge to the skin (usually around the face or chest in the first five days after they are born), white of the eyes, or the inside of the mouth, itchiness, fatigue, abdominal pain, weight loss, vomiting, fever, dark urine
-http://www.webmd.com/parenting/baby/tc/jaundice-in-newborns-hyperbilirubinemia-symptoms
-http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/165749.php
Organs that involve Jaundice
Jaundice is very common in newborn babies. In adults, Jaundice usually presents itself when a person has Liver Disease, Gallstones, Cirrhosis, Hepatitis B and C.
Treatments of Jaundice
The treatments of Jaundice depends on the cause. For example, "if the jaundice is due to a gallstone, the doctor may do a laparoscopic cholecystectomy, open cholecystectomy or endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography. If the jaundice is due to pancreatic or liver cancer, a wide range of cancer treatments might be recommended, depending on the stage, exact type, etc." (http://www.cedars-sinai.edu/Patients/Programs-and-Services/Pancreatic-and-Biliary-Diseases/Treatment/Treatment-for-Jaundice.aspx) In newborns, it is not always necessary to treat Jaundice; it could go away by itself. In more severe cases, light therapy is used to break down bilirubin.