Nutritional Problem # Jaundice

Jaundice is a yellowish colouration of the sclerae (whites of the eyes), skin and mucous membranes due to a build-up of a yellow compound called bilirubin. After bilirubin is formed from the breakdown of the heme pigment in aged red blood cells, it is transported to the liver, where it is processed and eventually excreted into bile.

The three main categories of jaundice are:

(1) Pre-hepatic jaundice, due to excess production of bilirubin;

(2) Hepatic jaundice, due to congenital liver disease — cirrhosis of the liver, or hepatitis; and

(3) Extra-hepatic jaundic due to blockage of bile drainage by gallstones or cancer of the bowel or the pancreas.

Because the liver of a newborn functions poorly for a week or so, many babies expe­rience a mild form of jaundice called neonatal jaundice that disappears as the liver matures. Usually, it is treated by exposing the infant to blue light which converts bilirubin into sub­stances the kidneys can excrete.