What Is Jaundice? Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention

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Can Jaundice Kill You? Causes, Symptoms, Treatment & Everything About The Disease That Took Away Amandeep Sohi's Life

Popular actress Amandeep Sohi recently passed away of jaundice. Her health reports signaling jaundice to be her cause of death worried people whether the disease was so severe to turn fatal. While jaundice is not often considered too concerning and is treatable, the recent case shocked people.

What is jaundice?

Jaundice is a condition pointing at an unhealthy liver characterised by the yellowing of the skin, eyes, nails, and a few other body parts. It occurs when there is an excess of bilirubin in the bloodstream, a yellow pigment produced during the breakdown of red blood cells.

Notably, several newly born kids suffer jaundice and resultant fever which is easily treated by health experts. It is reportedly normal in healthy newborns and usually clears on its own, however, the concern arises when it does not. According to studies, the neonatal mortality ratio associated with jaundice during pregnancy is around 2.4 per 1000 live births and accounted for 187.1 deaths per 100 000 during the late-neonatal period (7–27 days).

Causes and notable symptoms

While a person without an underlying disease can also suffer jaundice, some of the health conditions that hepatitis, gallstones and tumour. It can also be driven by alcohol consumption patterns, including both excessive intake or sudden withdrawal.

One of the easy ways of spotting the illness is with the yellowing of body parts. Not to be confused with anemia, these symptoms are very severe and mainly affect significant areas including eyes. Urine turns smelly and dark while suffering through jaundice which happens to be a clear indication of the ailment seeking medical consultation.

Treatment and care

Reaching out to a doctor on facing the above symptoms is an important step that follows prescribed treatment. Medications help cure the disease in most cases, and they include antiviral medications often used to treat hepatitis, and corticosteroids or immunosuppressants effective in treating autoimmune liver diseases.

While medicines play its role, staying hydrated and consuming juicy fruits aids treatment and catalyses cure. In some cases, a low-fat diet is recommended to reduce the workload on the liver with a strict control on alcohol consumption.

Can jaundice be so severe to kill you? Jaundice itself is not fatal, but, if left untreated or if complications arise, it is seen leading to complete liver failure and even death. The scenario importantly depends on the underlying cause of jaundice, and whether the patient has any other health condition weakening the overall immune system, along with how quickly it is diagnosed and treated.

Jaundice Can Be Dangerous

JAUNDICE refers to a yellowish discolouration of the whites of the eyes (sclerae), skin, and mucous membranes. When this occurs in the first month of a baby's life, it is called neonatal jaundice. Jaundice occurs in 50-60% of babies within their first week and is so common that parents often overlook the dangers or complications that may arise.

Jaundice is not in itself an illness, but an indication of increased bilirubin levels in the blood. Bilirubin is a yellowish-red pigment that is formed when red blood cells are broken down.

Test Your Knowledge On Jaundice

Quiz on Jaundice

Jaundice is a condition which results in yellowing of the skin and sclerae (white of the eyes), and darkening of the urine. Test your knowledge on jaundice by taking this quiz.

This Quiz has 10 questions.

Jaundice is caused due to:

Jaundice in Newborn