Is jaundice dangerous in adults?

Jaundice is a disease that occurs due to the increase of bilirubin in the blood and is associated with symptoms such as yellowing of the skin, yellowing of the whites of the eyes, and itching.

But due to the fact that this disease is more common in newborns, many adults who suffer from it have the question of how dangerous jaundice can be. What are the ways to treat it?

To answer these questions in this article, stay with us to introduce you to the causes of jaundice in adults and address the important question of whether or not a person's life is threatened if treatment is not given to this disease.

Introduction of jaundice

Jaundice of the skin and eyes in adults is a sign of earth diseases, which is mostly related to the liver and bile. The cause of this disease can depend on factors such as blockage of the bile duct, breakdown of white blood cells, liver dysfunction or the use of certain drugs.

Symptoms of this disease include skin itching, pain felt in the upper and right side of the abdomen, fever, and weight loss. Jaundice usually resolves on its own in babies. But you will not be able to treat this condition in babies without the help of phototherapy.

Be careful that this disease does not have any special symptoms at first. It should be noted that if adults suffer from yellowing of the skin and eyes and do not take action for it, unfortunately they will also face brain damage. We must add that if this disease lasts for a long time, there is a possibility of the patient's death.

What are the symptoms of jaundice?

Jaundice occurs in adults in short and long term. Temporary jaundice occurs due to infection and has the following symptoms:

– Ague

– stomach ache

– Diarrhea

– Lethargy

– Loss of appetite

– Dark urine and light stool

– skin itching

– Yellowing of the whites of the eyes

If these symptoms are not treated, other symptoms such as severe weight loss will appear in the patient. For this reason, in these conditions and for the times when the fever rises and you see swelling, bloating and distension of the abdomen, be sure to see a doctor.

Why do we get jaundice?

Bilirubin is a substance produced by the liver. This substance is formed during the process of the destruction of old red blood cells by the liver. When bilirubin enters the gallbladder through the bile duct and from there to the intestine, this substance is involved in the digestion process.

Bilirubin is toxic and if it is found in a large amount in the intestine, the person will suffer from jaundice and face very serious complications such as death. But the question is, under what conditions, this substance is secreted more than usual?

Bilirubin is secreted more in the case of blockage of the gallbladder or bile ducts, problems and diseases related to the liver, and finally an increase in the number of red blood cells. Of course, it should be noted that contracting viral hepatitis and autoimmunity are other reasons that cause jaundice.

Be careful that there are some other diseases that are the background of jaundice. The most important of them are liver cancer, Gilbert's syndrome, thalassemia, liver ulcer, pancreatic cancer, anemia, yellow fever and acute pancreatitis.

Introducing types of jaundice

Jaundice disease is divided into 4 separate categories, which include the following:

– Obstructive jaundice or jaundice caused by bile: When the bile duct is blocked, instead of entering the intestine, bilirubin has to go back to the liver and blood stream, which causes jaundice.

– Hepatocellular: Those who have a habit of consuming alcohol or suffer from various types of liver hepatitis and ulcer of this organ, are exposed to hepatocellular disease. In fact, the presence of this disease causes disruption in the breakdown of bilirubin.

– Hemolytic: Hemolytic jaundice is caused by anemia and rapid hemolysis of red blood cells. In fact, the main problem of this disease is premature destruction and breakdown of red blood cells, which slows down the production of red blood cells and their replacement with dead samples.

– Side effects of drugs: Sometimes it is seen that people are forced to take medicine to treat some other diseases. In this situation, some drugs may produce dangerous metabolites for the liver and eventually cause jaundice in the person.

Know the ways to treat jaundice

Jaundice and its treatment They are among the topics that many people show curiosity to find questions related to them. But we must say that jaundice is considered as a symptom of various liver diseases and cannot be a separate complication.

However, in relation to its treatment methods, it should be said that skin itching caused by jaundice will be resolved by taking cholestyramine medicine. On the other hand, if the issue is related to anemia, the doctor will fix this problem by prescribing iron tablets and changing the patient's diet. It should also be noted that antiviral or steroid drugs are prescribed for problems related to hepatitis.

In addition to these, it is important to mention that sometimes the use of home remedies and some foods are able to produce therapeutic effects. For this reason, you can use the following foods to fight jaundice:

– garlic

– Ginger

– Sugarcane juice

– Lemon juice

– yogurt

– tomato

– non-alcoholic beer

– Oregano

– green Grapes

– Goat's milk

– Vitamin D

– Basil

– Rosemary oil

Conclusion

Jaundice is a disease that is directly related to substances called bilirubin. This substance is toxic and if it is secreted a lot, it can enter the food digestion process. On the other hand, if a person has a blockage of the bile duct, unfortunately, bilirubin returns to the gallbladder and causes serious problems.

Jaundice is associated with symptoms such as fever, weight loss, heartache, discoloration of the whites of the eyes, diarrhea, bleeding and rapid bruising, skin itching, illness and lethargy, and if it occurs in adults and is not treated, it can cause problems such as brain disorders or even lead to death.