What most people fail to realize is that jaundice is a symptom of an underlying disease, not the disease itself.
With jaundice, regular metabolism and excretion of bilirubin is disrupted. Bilirubin is formed when red blood cells are broken down. This process releases hemoglobin with the “heme” part turning to bilirubin where it goes to the liver for further processing – metabolic and excretion. It is then transported to the gallbladder where it is stored for use by the intestines or excreted.
Types of Jaundice
The disruption of metabolism and excretion happens at any stage. Classification of these ailments depends on where the problem lies. “Pre-hepatic” is when the problem crops up before the liver is involved; “hepatic” is where the problem is in the liver, and “post-hepatic” is where the problems strike after the bilirubin is excreted by liver.
Causes of these illnesses differ depending on where the problem occurs. In pre-hepatic problems, the rapid increase in blood bilirubin overwhelms the liver’s capacity to metabolize bilirubin.
Hepatic problems usually occur because of abnormal metabolism or excretion of bilirubin. This results in the rise of conjugated and unconjugated bilirubin levels. “Conjugated” means the bilirubin has been through the liver, “unconjugated” means that the bilirubin has not been through the liver and is circulating through the bloodstream.
Post-hepatic problems are the result of the disruption of normal excretion of conjugated bilirubin. This elevates bilirubin levels in the blood.