Conditions associated with jaundice; Yellow skin and eyes; Skin - yellow; Icterus; Eyes - yellow

Jaundice may appear suddenly or develop slowly over time. Symptoms of jaundice commonly include:

• Yellow skin and the white part of the eyes (sclera) -- when jaundice is more severe, these areas may look brown
• Yellow color inside the mouth
• Dark or brown-colored urine
• Pale or clay-colored stools

Note: If the whites of your eyes are not yellow, you may not have jaundice. Your skin can turn a yellow-to-orange color if you eat too much beta carotene, the orange pigment in carrots.

Other symptoms depend on the disorder causing the jaundice:

• Cancers may produce no symptoms, or there may be fatigue, weight loss, or other symptoms
• Hepatitis may produce nausea, vomiting, fatigue, or other symptoms

The health care provider will perform a physical exam. This may reveal liver swelling.

A bilirubin blood test will be done. Other tests vary, but may include:

• Hepatitis virus panel to look for infection of the liver
• Liver function tests to determine how well the liver is working
• Complete blood count to check for low blood count or anemia
• Abdominal ultrasound
• Abdominal CT scan
• Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP)
• Percutaneous transhepatic cholangiogram (PTCA)
• Liver biopsy
• Cholesterol level
• Prothrombin time

Images

Jaundice infant

Jaundice

Cirrhosis of the liver

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Jaundice Overview

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Jaundice Treatment

Review Date: 04/17/2011
Reviewed By: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; George F. Longstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)