Fatty liver of pregnancy and hemorrhages are both associated with blood poisoning. Diagnosis should be made within 24 to 48 hours after onset of symptoms. A basic health exam should reveal whether there is a pre-existing liver condition, family history of jaundice, needle use of illicit drugs, or if there is a possibility of hepatitis exposure.

3.    Hepatitis A, B, or C. Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver caused by a virus, alcohol or drug overuse. Hepatitis can be chronic. There are three types.

Hepatitis A is a liver-disease causing virus. Typically it leads to chronic infection with very few complications. It is spread through eating or drinking contaminated food. This is usually a problem in developing countries where sanitation can be poor. The liver usually heals within two months of infection. Hepatitis A can be prevented by a vaccination. Some deaths are attributed to acute liver infection.

Hepatitis B causes liver damage. It can cause a chronic infection, though most with this form of hepatitis heal within six months. This disease spreads through the sharing of contaminated needles, having sex with an infected person, contact with infected blood, an infected pregnant mother to her baby and needle-stick injuries. Hepatitis B can be prevented by a vaccination.

Hepatitis C is the most common cause of liver disease and number one cause of liver transplants. About 60 percent of hepatitis C patients develop chronic infection of the liver, often without knowing it because of the lack of symptoms. There is no vaccination available.

Hepatitis C is a serious health issue because it destroys liver tissue, causes liver cancer, spreads from one person to another, can cause liver failure and death. It can be passed along by contaminated needle sharing, direct contact with infected blood, needle-stick injuries and rarely, having sex with an infected person.

4.    Breast-milk jaundice. This usually affects breast-fed newborns about the end of the first week of feeding. There is no identifiable reason found for this. Chinese, Japanese, Korean and Native Americans seem to have a greater prevalence than other ethnic groups. This phenomenon manifests by the end of the first week and can persist for three to 12 weeks. It usually resolves on its own.