Jaundice in Babies: Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Understanding Jaundice: What You Need To Know
When red blood cells die, they leave behind bilirubin, a yellow-orange pigment in the blood. The liver filters bilirubin from the bloodstream to be removed in your stool. If too much is in your system or your liver is overloaded, it causes a buildup known as hyperbilirubinemia. This causes jaundice, where your skin and the whites of your eyes look yellow.
Newborn babies often get it. About 60% have jaundice, also known as icterus, within the first couple of days after birth. Adults can get it, too, although it's less common. See a doctor right away if you think you have jaundice. It could be a symptom of a liver, blood, or gallbladder problem.
If too much bilirubin is left in your system, you can develop hyperbilirubinemia. This can lead to jaundice, which causes your skin and the whites of your eyes to turn yellow. (Photo Credit: Zay Nyi Nyi/Dreamstime)
There are four main types of jaundice, which are grouped by where the bilirubin collects in your body. A blood test can determine which type you have.
Prehepatic
If bilirubin builds up before blood enters the liver, it's known as prehepatic jaundice. This means you're breaking down red blood cells and creating more bilirubin than your liver can process.
Hepatic
If your liver isn't able to process bilirubin well, it's called hepatic jaundice.
Posthepatic
Posthepatic jaundice is when bilirubin builds up after passing through the liver and your body can't clear it quickly enough.
Obstructive jaundice
This condition is when bile isn't able to drain into your intestines because of a blocked or narrow bile or pancreatic duct. This type of jaundice has a high death rate, so it's important to catch and treat it early.
Jaundice may have no symptoms. Any signs you have may depend on how quickly the condition is getting worse. Well-known symptoms are yellowing of the skin and jaundice eyes (also called scleral icterus). But there are others to watch for, including:
How long does jaundice last in adults?
How long jaundice lasts depends on what's causing it and the treatment you need. If a medication is causing it, jaundice will fade after you stop taking it. If hepatitis is causing it, medications can be taken to treat the condition. If there is a blocked bile duct or gallstones, surgery may be required.
Jaundice in adults is rare, but you can get it for many reasons. These include:
Your doctor will ask you about your symptoms and medical history. They'll then give you a physical exam to see if there's swelling in your liver.
To get more information, your doctor will likely order blood tests to measure bilirubin and cholesterol levels and get a complete blood count (CBC). If you have jaundice, your level of bilirubin will be high. Your doctor may order other tests to find the cause of your jaundice and how severe it is, including:
In adults, jaundice itself usually isn't treated. But your doctor will treat the condition that's causing it.
If you have acute viral hepatitis, jaundice will go away on its own as your liver heals. If a blocked bile duct is to blame, your doctor may suggest surgery to open it. If your skin is itching, your doctor can prescribe cholestyramine to be taken by mouth. This medication is used to remove bile acids from your body, which cause itching.
Phototherapy for jaundice
Phototherapy uses a fluorescent white or blue-spectrum light that breaks down bilirubin so it can be released from the body. This treatment is used for newborns, but phototherapy has not been shown to be effective for treating jaundice in adults.
You may have a higher risk for jaundice if you drink too much alcohol or have hepatitis. It is also more common in people during middle age.
You can reduce your risk of jaundice through lifestyle changes like:
Unlike newborn jaundice, jaundice is not common in adults. It usually goes away on its own, but your doctor may recommend treatment if there is a condition causing it. If you have jaundice symptoms, including yellowish skin or eyes, flu-like symptoms, dark urine, or belly pain, talk to your doctor right away.
Liver Problems And Their Causes
Liver disease is a general term that refers to any condition affecting your liver. These conditions may develop for different reasons, but they can all damage your liver and affect its function.
Your liver is a vital organ that performs hundreds of tasks related to metabolism, energy storage, and waste filtering. It helps you digest food, convert it to energy, and store the energy until you need it. It also helps filter toxic substances out of your bloodstream.
Read on to learn about the types, causes, symptoms, and treatment of liver disease.
Liver disease symptoms vary, depending on the underlying cause. It's also possible for someone to have liver disease and not have any symptoms at all. However, Hepatitis NSW says that a few general symptoms can indicate some kind of severe liver damage.
These include:
Many conditions can affect your liver. Here's a look at some of the main ones.
HepatitisHepatitis is defined as an inflammation of the liver. When that inflammation is caused by a virus, it's referred to as viral hepatitis. Hepatitis can cause liver damage, making it difficult for your liver to function as it should.
Most types of viral hepatitis are contagious, but you can reduce your risk by getting vaccinated for types A and B and by taking other preventive steps, including using a condom during sex and not sharing needles.
Five types of hepatitis include:
Fat buildup in the liver can lead to fatty liver disease.
There are two types of fatty liver disease. These two types can manifest alone, or they can overlap:
Without management, both types of fatty liver disease can cause liver damage, leading to cirrhosis and liver failure. Diet and other lifestyle changes can often improve symptoms and lower your risk of complications.
Autoimmune conditionsAutoimmune conditions involve your immune system mistakenly attacking healthy cells in your body.
Several autoimmune conditions involve your immune system attacking cells in your liver, including:
Several genetic conditions, which you inherit from one of your parents, can also affect your liver:
It's possible to damage your liver by overexposing it to certain drugs and supplements, as seen in a 2019 study. Many times, this damage can be reversed once you stop taking the drug. But if it continues, the damage can become chronic.
CancerLiver cancer first develops in your liver. If cancer starts elsewhere in the body but spreads to the liver, it's called secondary liver cancer.
The most common type of liver cancer is hepatocellular carcinoma. It tends to develop as several small spots of cancer in your liver, though it can also start as a single tumor.
Complications of other liver diseases, especially those that aren't treated, may contribute to the development of liver cancer.
CirrhosisCirrhosis refers to scarring that results from liver diseases and other causes of liver damage, such as alcohol use disorder. Cystic fibrosis and syphilis may also lead to liver damage and, eventually, cirrhosis — although these two causes are much less common.
Your liver can regenerate in response to damage, but this process usually results in the development of scar tissue. The more scar tissue that develops, the harder it is for your liver to function properly.
In its early stages, cirrhosis is often treatable by addressing the underlying cause. But without management, it can lead to other complications and become life threatening.
Liver failureChronic liver failure typically happens when a significant part of your liver is damaged and can't function properly. Generally, liver failure related to liver disease and cirrhosis happens slowly. You may not have any symptoms at first. But over time, you might start to notice:
It's a serious condition that requires ongoing management.
Acute liver failure, on the other hand, happens suddenly, often in response to an overdose or poisoning.
Certain things can make you more likely to develop certain liver diseases. One of the most well-known risk factors is heavy drinking, which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines as more than 8 alcoholic drinks per week for women and more than 15 drinks per week for men.
Other risk factors include:
While not all liver disease or damage can be prevented, lifestyle choices can make a big difference when it comes to keeping your liver healthy. Like the risk factors above, many of the methods around prevention involve dietary decisions and physical activity.
The American Liver Foundation says that you can help prevent liver disease by:
If you're concerned about liver disease, it's best to make an appointment with a healthcare professional.
They'll start by looking over your medical history and asking about any family history of liver problems. Next, they'll likely ask you some questions about symptoms you may be experiencing, including when they started and whether certain things make them better or worse.
Depending on your symptoms, they'll likely ask you about your drinking and eating habits. Make sure to also tell them about any prescription or over-the-counter medications you take, including vitamins and supplements.
Once they've collected all this information, they may recommend:
Many liver diseases are chronic, meaning they last for years and may never go away. But even chronic liver diseases can usually be managed.
For some people, lifestyle changes are enough to control symptoms. These might include:
Depending on the specific liver condition you have, your doctor may recommend other dietary changes. For example, people living with Wilson's disease should limit foods containing copper, including shellfish, mushrooms, and nuts.
Depending on the condition affecting your liver, you may also need medical treatment, such as:
In some cases, you may need surgery to remove all or part of your liver. Generally, a liver transplant is only done when other options have failed.
Many liver diseases are manageable if you catch them early. Without treatment, however, they can cause permanent damage.
The complications of untreated or unmanaged liver disease can lead to cirrhosis, severe scarring that cannot be reversed. If cirrhosis has gone too far, a liver transplant may be your only option.
Because some liver diseases can develop without symptoms, making it a point to schedule annual physicals, along with the typical physical blood work, can help you and your doctor stay one step ahead.
Focusing on a nutritious diet, physical exercise, and other healthy lifestyle choices such as limiting alcohol can also help with prevention or management.
A/G Ratio: Conditions Linked To High Or Low Albumin/Globulin Levels
Medically reviewed by Steffini Stalos, DO
The A/G ratio is a test that measures the amount of proteins called albumin and globulin in your blood. The A/G ratio may be performed as part of a routine blood test called the comprehensive metabolic panel (CMP) or ordered if you have certain unusual symptoms like hematuria (blood in the urine) or jaundice (yellowing of the eyes or skin).
A high A/G ratio may indicate kidney disease, antibody deficiencies, or severe dehydration. A low A/G ratio can also indicate kidney disease as well as liver disease, chronic infections like human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), autoimmune diseases like lupus, and certain cancers.
This article explains why the A/G ratio test is used and what the ratio of albumin to globulin says about your health. It also describes what you need to do if your test results are high or low.
Albumin/Globulin Ratio Results: What's MeasuredThe A/G ratio describes the amount of albumin compared to the amount of globulin in your blood. Albumin and globulin are major proteins in your blood, called serum proteins. They have different purposes in the human body, as follows:
Albumin is the most common serum protein made by the liver. It helps fluids remain inside arteries and veins and prevents them from leaking into your lungs, abdomen, or other parts of your body. A normal albumin range is between 3.4 and 5.4 grams per deciliter (g/dL).
Globulins are a group of serum proteins, some of which are produced by the liver and others by the immune system (immunoglobulins). Globulin plays a central role in liver function, blood clotting, and fighting infections. A normal globulin range is between 2.0 and 3.5 g/dL.
Under normal circumstances, there is slightly more albumin in your blood than globulin.
While the reference ranges of values (meaning the range between which test results are normal) can differ by the lab, most consider an A/G ratio between 1.1 and 2.5 as normal.
InterpretationAn A/G ratio of 1 means that there is an equal amount of albumin and globulin in the blood, while an A/G ratio of 2 means that there is twice as much albumin in the blood as globulin.
Related: What Is Microalbuminuria?
What Do High or Low A/G Ratio Results Mean?When your body is functioning normally, the proportion of albumin to globulin will remain relatively consistent. When the proportion changes and the A/G ratio is either high or low, it may be a sign of an infection, disease, or nutritional deficiency.
Low A/G RatioGenerally speaking, your A/G ratio may become low for three reasons:
Your albumin is normal, but your globulin is high.
Your albumin is low, and your globulin is high.
Your globulin is normal, but your albumin is low.
High globulin levels are typically a sign of inflammation and the activation of the immune system to fight an infection or disease.
Low albumin levels (referred to as hypoalbuminemia) are most often due to the excessive excretion of albumin through the kidneys or the reduced production of albumin in the liver. Chronic inflammatory conditions can also contribute to hypoalbuminemia by increasing the permeability of blood vessels, allowing albumin to leak into surrounding tissues.
Given these dynamics, the possible causes of a low A/G ratio include:
A low A/G ratio does not cause symptoms per se other than those related to the underlying cause.
In many cases, a person with a low A/G ratio will have no symptoms, particularly those with chronic kidney disease who can be asymptomatic (symptom-free) for years.
Even so, your healthcare provider may order an A/G ratio test if you have signs of chronic kidney disease (including difficulty urinating, ankle swelling, and ammonia-smelling breath) or liver disease (including jaundice, dark urine, severe fatigue, and pain in the upper right abdomen).
Related: What Is Albuminuria in Diabetes?
High A/G RatioA high A/G ratio is far less common than a low A/G ratio and can occur when:
Your albumin is high, and your globulin is normal.
Your globulin is low, and your albumin is normal.
Your albumin and globulin are both high, but the proportion is abnormal.
Globulin levels can drop when your body is not able to produce enough or an excessive amount is eliminated through the kidneys when you urinate.
The only situation in which albumin can abnormally increase is with severe dehydration. In such cases, albumin will increase in relationship to decreased volumes of blood plasma (the liquid part of the blood).
Given these dynamics, possible causes of a high A/G ratio include:
Severe diarrhea or vomiting (or other causes of severe dehydration)
Pregnancy (during which albumin and globulin will increase to support fetal growth)
Antibody deficiency disorders (a group of genetic disorders that cause the inadequate production of immunoglobulins)
As with a low A/G ratio, a high A/G ratio does not cause a set group of symptoms. In many cases, there may be no symptoms at all.
However, people with antibody deficiencies are vulnerable to a host of symptoms, including recurrent infections (especially of the ears, sinuses, and lungs) as well as bacterial or viral meningitis and chronic diarrhea.
Follow-Up for High or Low A/G Test ResultsAn A/G ratio cannot diagnose any medical condition on its own, but it can point your healthcare provider in the direction of possible causes. Other tests can help characterize the nature of the problem and help narrow the causes.
These involve lab tests like:
Imaging tests and specialist procedures may be also ordered if a gastrointestinal disease or cancer is suspected. These may include:
Related: When to See a Kidney Doctor
SummaryAn A/G ratio is a blood test that compares the amount of two proteins (albumin and globulin) in your blood. A normal A/G ratio is between 1.1 and 2.5, although this can vary by lab.
A low A/G ratio may be due to kidney disease, liver disease, chronic infections, type 2 diabetes, malnutrition, certain autoimmune diseases, and cancers. A high A/G ratio may also be due to kidney disease as well as severe dehydration, pregnancy, and antibody deficiencies.
Read the original article on Verywell Health.
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