Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a term used to describe a yellowish tinge to the skin and sclerae (the white part of the eye) that is caused by hyperbilirubinemia (an excess of bilirubin in the blood). Body fluids may also be yellow. The color of the skin and sclerae varies depending on levels of bilirubin; mildly elevated levels display yellow skin and sclerae, while highly elevated levels display brown.
Causes of jaundice vary from non serious to potentially fatal. Levels of bilirubin in blood are normally below 1.0 mg/dL (17 µmol/L) and levels over 2-3 mg/dL (34-51 µmol/L) typically results in jaundice. High bilirubin is divided into two types unconjugated (indirect) and conjugated (direct). Conjugated bilirubin can be confirmed by finding bilirubin in the urine. Other conditions that can give you yellowish skin but are not jaundice include carotenemia from eating large amounts of certain foods and medications like rifampin.
High unconjugated bilirubin may be due to excess red blood cell breakdown, large bruises, genetic conditions such as Gilbert’s syndrome, no eating for a prolonged period of time, newborn jaundice, or thyroid problems. High conjugated bilirubin may be due to liver diseases such as cirrhosis or hepatitis, infections,medications, or blockage of the bile duct. In the developed world the cause is more often blockage of the bile duct or medications while in the developing world it is more often infections such as viral hepatitis, leptospirosis, schistosomiasis, or malaria. Blockage of the bile duct may occur due to gallstones, cancer, or pancreatitis. Medical imaging such as ultrasound is useful for detecting bile duct blockage.
Types of jaundice
There are three main types of jaundice:
Hepatocellular jaundice – a type of jaundice that occurs as a result of liver disease or injury.
Hemolytic jaundice – a type of jaundice that occurs as a result of hemolysis (an accelerated breakdown of erythrocytes – red blood cells) leading to an increase in production of bilirubin.
Obstructive jaundice – a type of jaundice that occurs as a result of an obstruction in the bile duct (a system of tubes that carries bile from the liver to the gallbladder and small intestine), which prevents bilirubin from leaving the liver.
Signs and symptoms
The main symptom of jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white area of the eye and the skin. Urine is dark in colour. Slight increases in serum bilirubin are best detected by examining the sclerae, which have a particular affinity for bilirubin due to their high elastin content. The presence of scleral icterus indicates a serum bilirubin of at least 3 mg/dL. The conjunctiva of the eye are one of the first tissues to change color as bilirubin levels rise in jaundice. This is sometimes referred to as scleral icterus. However, the sclera themselves are not “icteric” (stained with bile pigment) but rather the conjunctival membranes that overlie them. The yellowing of the “white of the eye” is thus more properly termedconjunctival icterus. The term “icterus” itself is sometimes incorrectly used to refer to jaundice that is noted in the sclera of the eyes, however its more common and more correct meaning is entirely synonymous with jaundice.
HOMOEOPATHIC APPROACH
Homeopathy offers a selection of remedies for the treatment of jaundice. Homeopathy works by giving a tiny dose of a remedy whose characteristics are similar to those of the person who needs that remedy. The remedy stimulates the individual’s own vital force, or immune system, encouraging the body to heal itself.
Homeopathic medicine relies not only on identifying the symptoms of the disease, but on a variety of personality traits, the person’s mental state and other characteristic symptoms a patient exhibits which correlate to any particular remedy. When giving a correct remedy for the treatment of jaundice, it gives permanent cure.