Jaundice in adults is caused by what disease? Is liver disease, bile?

Video content is professionally consulted by Dr., Doctor Tran Thi Phuong Thuy - Department of General Internal Medicine - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Many people wonder "what is jaundice?", why is there biliary jaundice? In fact, jaundice is not a disease but a symptom that can be seen in many diseases, the cause of jaundice may be high levels of bilirubin in the blood, in the case of non-pathological jaundice it may be a sign. of anemia, food-induced jaundice.

Jaundice can be seen in both adults and children, when the phenomenon of jaundice occurs in adults, not only is the skin yellow, but it can also be yellowing of the mucous membranes and conjunctiva of the eyes. Although not a disease, but jaundice is a warning symptom of hepatobiliary disease or other diseases that need attention and follow-up.
Causes of jaundice in adults are divided into 4 groups of causes, including:
Diseases related to red blood cells: sickle cell disease, thalassemia, glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, urease syndrome hemolytic anemia, malaria or tissue hematoma... Diseases related to liver cells: Causes jaundice in the liver, diseases including: acute hepatitis, cirrhosis, cancer metastasis to the liver; Diseases related to the small bile ducts in the liver: Gallstones, pancreatic head cancer, acute pancreatitis, bile duct strictures, gallbladder cancer, cholangitis... cause obstructive jaundice. Drug-induced jaundice: Some drugs can also cause cholestatic jaundice or hepatitis due to hepatitis, drugs that cause inflammation of the biliary tract also lead to obstructive jaundice and jaundice. To diagnose the cause of jaundice, it is necessary to rely on both history, physical examination and laboratory tests to determine the exact cause.
If the degree of jaundice is mild, it is also quite difficult to detect. The first thing when detecting jaundice is to go to a medical facility for examination and monitoring. At medical facilities, patients will be more closely evaluated for jaundice and do tests to find the cause.