What is jaundice? How to manage it? What are the precautions to be taken? What are the signs and symptoms? What is the cause of this disease? How to treat it? How can homeopathy help you? All of this answered, in this post and of course our doctors always there to help you. Just fill in your details in the form down below and we will answer all your questions for FREE!
What jaundice is?
The jaundice is defined as the yellow discoloration of the skin, mucous membrane, and sclera (the white part of the eye).
Jaundice occurs when the blood contains an excess amount of the pigment called bilirubin.
What are the types of jaundice?
• Hemolytic jaundice:
This type of jaundice occurs because of the excessive breakdown of red blood cells.
• Obstructive jaundice.
This type of jaundice occurs because of functional obstruction of the liver.
• Hepato-cellular jaundice.
The liver becomes dysfunctional because of metabolic disease.
• Neonatal jaundice.
This type of jaundice occurs in new-born babies.
Which age group is more affected due to jaundice?
• Conjugated bilirubinemia affects the population in midlife.
• Unconjugated bilirubinemia affects most commonly women.
• It may occur in infants in first days of life and in midlife.
What are the causes of jaundice?
Jaundice can occur as a result of any of the following three conditions:
-Excessive breakdown of red blood cells (Haemolysis): –
It occurs as a result of:
• Malaria.
• Incompatibility of Rhesus blood group of fetus and mother.
• Auto-immune hemolytic anemia.
• A side-effect of some drugs.
-Impaired function of liver cells: –
This happens due to one of the following reasons:
• Viral hepatitis.
• Glandular infection.
• Alcohol abuse.
• Liver cirrhosis.
• Tumors of the liver.
• low oxygen or blood flow to the liver.
-Blockage of the bile ducts: –
This can occur due to abnormality inside or outside the ducts.
• Gallstones.
• Cancer of the pancreas.
• Pressure on the bile duct by external enlarged organ.
What are the sign and symptoms of jaundice?
The common Signs and symptoms of jaundice include:
• Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes.
• Clay-coloured stools.
• Dark or brown-coloured urine.
Jaundice In the case of new-born jaundice marked by
• Yellowish skin,
• The yellow-white part of eyes,
• Yellow colour inside of the mouth.
• Breastfeeding jaundice is due to dehydration.
• Breast milk jaundice occurs about 10 to 14 days after birth.
• Difficulty in breathing (dyspnoea).
• Seizures.
How to investigate Jaundice?
• Serum bilirubin level.
• Liver function tests.
• Complete blood count.
• Ultrasound and CT scan of the abdomen.
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP).
• Liver biopsy.
• Prothrombin time.
What is the differential diagnosis of jaundice?
• Anaemia.
• Acute Liver Failure.
• Alcoholic Hepatitis.
• Biliary Obstruction.
• Cholangitis.
• Cholecystitis.
• Cirrhosis.
• Hemochromatosis.
• Acute Pancreatitis.
How to treat jaundice?
• The Treatment of jaundice depends on the underlying cause.
• Treating with intravenous fluids, medications, and antibiotics or blood transfusion.
• Phototherapy.
What is the dietary management of jaundice?
•Vegetable broth, which contains adequate minerals and trace minerals, and is easy to digest.
•Fresh vegetable juices are also an excellent dietary supplement.
•Avoid processed food products containing preservatives, artificial flavours and colourings, and other additives.
• Avoid animal fats, fried foods.
• Avoid alcohol.
• Avoid refined sugar and anything containing caffeine in the diet.
What are the indicated medicines of jaundice?
-Arsenic
-Cardus marianus
-Lycopodium
-Nux vomica
-Berberis vulgaris
-Chelidonium
For more information, you can visit MayoClinic and WebMD.
