Jaundice

Jaundice means when the eyes and skin become yellow. If you or your family notice you’re becoming more yellow, it can be a sign your liver disease is getting worse. 

If you develop jaundice, you should contact a doctor straight away.

Do I have jaundice?

You may have jaundice if:

• Your skin looks yellow (if you have pale skin)
• The whites of your eyes are yellow.

People with dark skin may not notice their skin is yellow. But the whites of the eyes will still look yellow.

You might also have other symptoms including:

• Fever/chills
• Adominal pain (belly ache)
• Dark wee
• Pale poo
• Feeling tired
• Feeling confused
• Itching
• Weight loss.

Why you develop jaundice

Jaundice happens when there is too much bilirubin (a yellow pigment) in the blood.

The body makes bilirubin when it recycles old or damaged red blood cells. Bilirubin is formed when the haemoglobin in the red blood cells (the part of the cells that carries oxygen) is broken down.

Bilirubin is usually processed by the liver and put out as bile. The bile then goes through the digestive system and leaves the body in poo or wee.

But if there’s a problem with the liver, this process doesn’t work properly. Bilirubin builds up in the blood and makes you look yellow.

Jaundice can mean the liver isn’t working. It can be caused by damage to the liver from liver diseases including:

• Cirrhosis (scarring of the liver)
• Cholangiocarcinoma (bile duct cancer)
• Hepatitis caused by an autoimmune condition, a virus (Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B or Hepatitis C) or alcohol
• Primary Biliary Cholangitis
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis
• Obstruction of a bile duct
• Damage to the liver from a toxin.

Adults might also get jaundice due to other health problems. These include:

• Gallstones
• Gallbladder cancer
• A blocked bile duct
• Pancreatitis
• Pancreatic cancer
• Lymphoma
• Obstruction of a bile duct
• A virus (e.g. the Epstein-Barr virus)
• An inherited condition such as Gilbert syndrome or Dubin-Johnson syndrome
• Some medicines
• After surgery
• Pregnancy

Jaundice is quite common in newborn babies. This is because it’s hard for the baby’s body to get rid of bilirubin when they’re born.

In babies, jaundice is usually not serious and will go away by itself once the liver starts working properly.

But sometimes jaundice in babies can be the sign something more serious is wrong. Always speak to  your doctor if you think your baby has jaundice. It can be treated with light therapy or medication.

How is jaundice treated?

If you have jaundice, you should always see your doctor. The treatment depends on what has caused the jaundice.

There is no specific treatment for jaundice, but your doctor may be able to help with other symptoms.

Tips for managing jaundice

If you have jaundice, you should:

• Get plenty of rest
• Drink lots of fluids
• Avoid alcohol

Reviewed September 2024