What is jaundice

When a newborn is born, the first thing they do is to take measures to eliminate jaundice, but not all parents understand what jaundice is. Some people even believe that no one except newborn babies will suffer from this disease. This is because they do not understand the disease called jaundice. Lack of understanding also leads to the phenomenon that once people get sick, they will rush to seek medical treatment and delay the normal treatment opportunity.

So what exactly is jaundice? What are the obvious characteristics of jaundice? Which groups of people are most susceptible to jaundice? What are the causes of jaundice? Many family members ask their doctors a variety of questions when they develop jaundice. A brief introduction is given below.

Jaundice is a common symptom and sign, which occurs due to increased serum bilirubin concentration caused by bilirubin metabolism disorders. Clinically, the sclera, mucous membranes, skin and other tissues are stained yellow. Because the sclera contains more elastin and has a stronger affinity with bilirubin, the yellowing of the sclera in patients with jaundice is often noticed first before the mucous membranes and skin. When the total serum bilirubin is between 17.1 and 34.2 μmol/L, but jaundice is not visible to the naked eye, it is called latent jaundice or subclinical jaundice. When the total blood bilirubin concentration exceeds 34.2 μmol/L, jaundice can be found clinically, which is also called overt jaundice. There are many causes of jaundice, which can be divided into five categories in terms of mechanism: 1. Excessive bilirubin production 2. Impaired liver cell function or reduced amount of functional liver cells 3. Hepatocyte destruction and spillover of combined bilirubin 4. Intrahepatic cholestatic jaundice 5. Jaundice caused by obstruction of large bile ducts. The principle of treatment for jaundice is to treat the cause and symptoms based on the identification of the primary disease.

Through the introduction of the above content, we can understand that jaundice is a relatively common disease, which generally manifests as yellowing of the skin. There are different types of jaundice, and you cannot determine which type it is right away. You need to go to the hospital and find a professional doctor to make a judgment. After learning this knowledge, it is like unveiling a veil of mystery, and you will no longer be overly afraid.