Differential diagnosis of jaundice

Jaundice is the coloration of the surface of the skin and mucous membranes, eye sclera in yellow. It is caused by the deposition of bilirubin (bile pigment, which is formed in the liver) in tissues. Increasing its content in the blood provokes jaundice.

It can be of several types depending on the reasons for which it occurs: mechanical, hepatic and hemolytic.

Differential diagnosis of jaundice is based on an objective assessment of the appearance of the surface of the skin and mucous membranes of patients, a detailed study of the causes preceding the disease and the results of urine and feces analysis. Of course, complaints of patients are also considered.

Differential diagnosis of jaundice by taking urine and feces for analysis provides the following results. With her liver form, stools become light, and the urine is dark. It remains dark and with mechanical jaundice, but the feces completely discolor. When the hemolytic form of the disease, both the feces and the urine of the sick person become dark.

Hepatic jaundice appears when the cells of the body are affected by toxins or infection. In turn, this disrupts the formation of bilirubin and its release into the intestine. Most often it is a symptom of viral hepatitis. Confirm this or exclude the diagnosis of infectious diseases conducted by a specialist. Causes viral hepatitis resistant virus. He can live a year at room temperature and even 4.5 years - in the cold. But from the impact of direct rays of the sun dies in half an hour, and when boiling - after half an hour. The virus is in the blood of a sick person and is released into the environment with its feces. There are two of its kind. One causes infectious jaundice (Botkin's disease), and the second - serum hepatitis. Infection with hepatitis occurs through water contaminated with excrement, unwashed hands and food, common household items. Serum hepatitis enters the bloodstream after using non-sterile medical instruments. In addition, hepatic jaundice can develop as a result of organ damage by alcohol.

When something prevents the free flow of bile through the bile duct, talk about the mechanical form of the disease. For example, the cause of such jaundice may become a blockage of the bile duct stone. Bile is collected above the obstacle and, not being able to descend to the intestine, in large quantities gets into the blood.

Hemolytic jaundice manifests itself in hemolytic anemia (congenital or acquired). With it, there is an increased disintegration of red blood cells and the release of an excessive amount of bilirubin entering into them.

Differential diagnosis of jaundice on the color of the sclera of the eyes, mucous membranes and skin can not be carried out, since this symptom is equally manifested in all forms of the disease. The degree of coloration depends on the concentration of bilirubin in the blood. A frequent symptom for all types of jaundice is skin itch. It occurs due to irritation of nerve endings in the skin.

A common phenomenon is the diagnosis of jaundice in newborns within two to three days after birth. This condition is due to liver insufficiency, which does not need any treatment and passes the largest in two weeks. Only in case of incompatibility of maternal and children's blood there is a hemolytic disease of newborns, accompanied by jaundice.

It also occurs in severe toxicosis in pregnant women.

For any form of the disease, other than natural, physiological, you should seek medical help. Timely differential diagnosis of jaundice is extremely important, since a person with a hepatic form is a source of infection for others, and one who has a mechanical form may need urgent surgical intervention.