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Disorders of the Liver and Biliary Tract 

Nutrition for Healthy Digestion  

Jaundice

Terms You Should Know

  • Alkaline phospohatase : An enzyme produced in the liver. 
    Aminotransferase : Liver enzymes. The two aminotransferases important in liver disease are SGOT (aspartate aminotransferase) and SGPT ( alanine aminotransferase).
    Ascites : Accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity. 
    Bile : Greenish fluid formed by the liver and emptied into the small intestine via the bile ducts; it contains bilirubin, bile salts, phospholipids, and cholesterol. 
    Bilirubin : A bile pigment formed as a breakdown product of old red blood cells. 
    Cholestasis : Blockage of bile flow. 
    Cirrhosis : A chronic disease of liver tissues. 
    Fibrosis : The formation of fibrous tissue, or scarring. 
    Fulminant: Running a speedy course, with rapid worsening.
    Hepatitis : Inflammation of the liver; generally considered acute if the duration is less than six months and chronic if greater than six months. 
    Hepatocellular necrosis : Localised tissue death of death of hepatic cells. 
    Hepatocytes : Liver cells.
    Icterus / Jaundice : Increased levels of bilirubin with deposition of bile pigment in the skin, mucous membranes, and sclerae ( whites of eyes), resulting in a yellow appearance of the patient; also called icterus.
    Pruritus : Itching. 

Jaundice comes from the French word 'jaune', which means yellow. Jaundice is a yellowish staining of the skin, sclerae, and mucous membranes by bilirubin, a yellow-orange bile pigment. When the skin bruises, it undergoes a series of colour changes as it heals. The yellow colour of the bruise is due to the pigment bilirubin. Jaundice is not a disease but rather a sign that can occur in many different diseases. 

Normally, about 1 per cent of our red blood cells retire every day, to be replaced by fresh red blood cells. The old ones are processed in the liver. The liver produces bilirubin from the breakdown product of red blood cells. If there are too many red blood cells retiring for the liver to handle, a yellow pigment known as bilrubin builds up in the body. When the bilirubin level becomes high, jaundice results. 

Bilirubin is transported from the plasma to the liver for further processing. The liver has many functions, one of which is to produce and secrete bile into the intestines to help digest dietary fat. Another is to remove toxic chemicals or waste products from the blood, and bilirubin is a waste product. After the bilirubin has entered the liver cells, the latter further process the bilirubin and secretes it into the bile. Bile is transported through ducts either to the gall bladder, where it is stored, or it passes into the duodenum and then into the intestines. Inside the intestines, most of the bilirubin is excreted in the stool, while some is converted into urobilinogen and then reabsorbed. The urobilinogen is excreted by the kidney into the urine. 



Jaundice
Causes and Symptoms of Jaundice
Urine Analysis and Blood Testing for Jaundice
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