Jaundice Causes, Symptoms and Treatment
Friday, December 12th, 2008Jaundice in newborns and babies typically will occur due to the infants immature liver is not yet efficient enough to remove Bilirubin from the baby;s bloodstream. Bilirubin is the regular pigment created when the red blood cells begin breaking down in the body. This is typically processed by the liver which is then used and passed through in the baby’s stool. Jaundice occurs when their body is creating too much Bilirubin. Also it could occur if the liver is not extracting it fast enough.
Jaundice is a malfunction of the liver when too much of bilirubin is produced and the liver is unable to remove it, or if the liver has a defect and cannot remove the bilirubin from the blood and the third reason is when the bile duct is blocked and the flow of bilirubin and bile to the intestines is restricted. The bile duct could be blocked for several reasons like if the person has gall stones, cancer or an inflammation of the bile duct.
Jaundice may be caused by a diseased or damaged liver which affects the normal secretion of bile pigment. The flow of bile from the liver to the intestines may be blocked by gallstones, tumors or parasites. This type of jaundice is characterized by clay-colored stools and light yellow or brownish-green urine. The liver is enlarged in this case and could be damaged unless the obstruction is removed.
Jaundice is a symptom of hepatitis, jaundice causes your skin and your eyes appear yellow. The yellow color of the skin and eyes are caused by an excess amount of bilirubin. Bilirubin is a yellow chemical in hemoglobin which builds up in the body when the liver cannot handle the blood cells as they break down, body and your skin may look yellow.
Causes
The high level of bilirubin is the main cause of jaundice. However, it is better that we are able to understand how this chemical component of the blood is being released. The red blood cells are the ones responsible with the bilirubin. When these cells get old, they are naturally destroyed. Since the blood cells are the carriers of iron-content called hemoglobin that carries oxygen in the blood, this chemical is released from the destroyed cells.
Babies are born with a generous supply of red blood cells, which help transport oxygen. Over time, these red blood cells break down, forming bilirubin in the process.
Bilirubin is normally transported to the liver, where it’s processed before being eliminated from the body. But newborns initially have more bilirubin than their livers can handle, and the excess causes their skin and, sometimes, the whites of their eyes to turn yellow.
Berberis (Berberis vulgaris)
Berberis is a very effective herb for all kinds of liver ailments, especially jaundice. So effective is the herb that it is nicknamed ‘jaundice berry’. It is a bitter tonic which must be given to a jaundice patient several times a day in does of quarter teaspoons. The fluid extract of the fruit also has similar properties.
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