Jaundice (cont.)
What problems does jaundice cause?
Jaundice or cholestasis, by themselves, causes few problems (except in the
newborn, and jaundice in the newborn is different than most other types of
jaundice, as discussed later.) Jaundice can turn the skin and sclerae yellow. In
addition, stool can become light in color, even clay-colored because of the
absence of bilirubin that normally gives stool its brown color. The urine may
turn dark or brownish in color. This occurs when the bilirubin that is building
up in the blood begins to be excreted from the body in the urine. Just as in
feces, the bilirubin turns the urine brown.
Besides the cosmetic issues of looking yellow and having dark urine and light
stools, the symptom that is associated most frequently associated with jaundice
or cholestasis is itching, medically known as pruritus. The itching associated
with jaundice and cholestasis can sometimes be so severe that it causes patients
to scratch their skin "raw," have trouble sleeping, and, rarely, even to commit
suicide.
It is the disease causing the jaundice that causes most problems associated with
jaundice. Specifically, if the jaundice is due to liver disease, the patient may
have symptoms or signs of liver disease or cirrhosis. (Cirrhosis represents
advanced liver disease.) The symptoms and signs of liver disease and cirrhosis
include fatigue, swelling of the ankles, muscle wasting, ascites (fluid
accumulation in the abdominal cavity), mental confusion or coma, and bleeding
into the intestines.
If the jaundice is caused by blockage of the bile ducts, no bile enters the
intestine. Bile is necessary for digesting fat in the intestine and releasing
vitamins from within it so that the vitamins can be absorbed into the body.
Therefore, blockage of the flow of bile can lead to deficiencies of certain
vitamins. For example, there may be a deficiency of vitamin K that prevents
proteins that are needed for normal clotting of blood to be made by the liver,
and, as a result, uncontrolled bleeding may occur.
Next: What diseases cause jaundice? »
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