Jaundice is the most common of all liver disorders. It is a condition in which yellow discoloration of the skin and mucous membranes occurs due to an increase in the bile pigment, bilirubin, in the blood.
The bile, produced by the liver, is a vital digestive fluid which is essential for proper nutrition. It exercises a most favourable influence on the general processes of digestion. It also prevents decaying changes in food. If the bile is prevented from entering the intestines there is an increase in gases and other products. Normally, the production of bile and its flow is constant.
There are three forms of jaundice. These are: haemolyptic jaundice due to excessive destruction of red blood cells resulting in increased bilirubin formation and anaemia ; obstructive jaundice which occurs when there is a block to the pathway between the site of conjugation of bilirubin in the liver cells and the entry of bile into the duodenum; and hepatocellular jaundice resulting from damage to liver cells either by viral infection or by toxic drugs. All the three forms are marked by yellow discoloration of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
Symptoms
The symptoms of jaundice are extreme weakness, headache, fever, loss of appetite, undue fatigue, severe constipation, nausea and yellow coloration of the eyes, tongue, skin and urine. The patient may also feel a dull pain in the liver region. Obstructive jaundice may be associated with intense itching.
Causes
Jaundice is indicative of the malfunctioning of the liver. It may be caused by an obstruction of the bile ducts which discharge bile salts and pigment into the intestines. The bile then gets mixed with blood and this gives a yellow pigmentation to the skin. The obstruction of the bile ducts could be due to gall-stones or inflammation of the liver, known as hepatitis, caused by a virus.
In the latter case, the virus spreads and may lead to epidemics owing to overcrowding , dirty surroundings, insanitary conditons and contamination of food and water. Other causes of jaundice are pernicious anaemia and certain diseases affecting the liver such as typhoid, malaria, yellow fever and tuberculosis.