Medical Health Encyclopedia

Jaundice - yellow skin

Causes in adults include:

• blocked bile ducts (by infection, tumor or gallstones)
• viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E)
• drug-induced cholestasis (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the effects of drugs)
• drug-induced hepatitis (hepatitis triggered by erythromycin sulfa drugs, antidepressants, anti-cancer drugs, Aldomet, rifampin, steroids, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide, oral contraceptives, testosterone, propylthiouracil)
• biliary stricture
• alcoholic liver disease (alcoholic cirrhosis)
• cancer of the pancreas
• primary biliary cirrhosis
• ischemic hepatocellular jaundice (jaundice caused by inadequate oxygen or inadequate blood flow to the liver)
• intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the pressure in the abdomen with pregnancy)
• hemolytic anemia
• disorders present since birth that cause problems processing bilirubin (Gilbert's syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor's syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndromes)
• chronic active hepatitis
• autoimmune hepatitis
• malaria

References:

Moyer V, Freese DK, Whitington PF, Olson AD, Brewer F, Colletti RB, Heyman MB. Guideline for the evaluation of cholestatic jaundice in infants: recommendations of the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2004 Aug;39(2):115-28.

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American Academy of Pediatrics Subcommittee on Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia. Neonatal jaundice and kernicterus. Pediatrics. 2001; 108(3): 763-765.

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