Jaundice Flashcards
What is jaundice?
Yellowing of sclera and skin
What are the types of jaundice?
Pre-hepatic
Intra-hepatic
Post-hepatic
What is the cause of pre-hepatic jaundice?
Haemolytic anaemia
increased breakdown of red blood cells, haemaglobin, haem into unconjugated bilirubin
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect bilirubin levels in the blood?
High unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
How jaundiced is a patient with pre-hepatic jaundice?
Mild jaundice, yellow tinge
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect liver function?
Liver does more work
conjugates more bilirubin
excretes more conjugated bilirubin in bile
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect urobilinogen? Why?
Increased urobilinogen in the gut, blood and urine
because more conjugated bilirubin in bile in gut
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect urine? Why?
Normal urine
no conjugated bilirubin in the blood, none excreted into urine
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect stercobilin? Why?
Increased stercobilin in the gut and faeces
because more urobilinogen in gut
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect stools? Why?
Darker stools
increased stercobilin in the stools makes them darker
What is the cause of intra-hepatic jaundice?
Liver does not conjugate bilirubin, excrete conjugated bilirubin
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect bilibrubin levels in the blood? Why?
Raised unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
raised conjugated bilirubin in the blood
back up into the blood
How jaundiced is a patient with intra-hepatic jaundice?
Moderate jaundice, orange tinge
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect urobilinogen? Why?
Normal urobilinogen in gut, blood, urine
because some conjugated bilirubin enters the gut in bile
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect urine? Why?
Darker urine
because conjugated bilirubin in the blood is excreted into the urine
is a brown colour