In the view of many people, a disease such as jaundice is associated with impaired liver function. However, staining of body tissues in a specific shade is often due to pathologies of other organs and systems. Be that as it may, the main manifestation of the disease is always a metabolic disorder in the body of a substance called bilirubin. It is this element that gives the whites of the eyes and skin surface a specific yellowish color.
What causes jaundice? What are the symptoms of the disease? How is jaundice transmitted? What methods are used in the diagnosis of pathology? What are the consequences of the disease? You can find answers to these and other questions by reading our publication.
How is jaundice transmitted?
Quite often, the skin acquires a characteristic jaundice hue due to malfunctions in the course of physiological processes. In this case, the disease is not contagious. The infection is not transmitted by contact, as well as by airborne droplets. However, if the formation of the pathology is associated with an attack on the body of viruses or manifestations of hepatitis, there is a rather high probability of infection of others.
How is jaundice transmitted in case of hepatitis A? In such a situation, infection of a healthy person can occur through food products that the patient has previously contacted.
What about cases where hepatitis B occurs? Through the transmission of jaundice, parenteral contacts become here. In other words, infection occurs through the blood. In addition, a high probability of infection is present during unprotected sexual intercourse.
How is jaundice transmitted in the case of hepatitis C? A healthy person can catch the disease with the same blood transfusion, using a common syringe during injection. The transmission method is also sexual contact.
Symptomatology
The main sign of jaundice is the staining of the skin and eye proteins in a yellow tint. Depending on the cause of the development and severity of the disease, the tissues may acquire a light lemon, orange or brown color. Among the side signs of jaundice is worth noting:
- The occurrence of persistent itching of the skin.
- The appearance in the structure of the epidermis of the so-called vascular asterisks.
- Yellow staining of urine and feces.
- An increase in the volume of the liver and spleen.
- The formation of pain in the right hypochondrium.
- Febrile conditions.
The mechanism of the development of the disease
With jaundice, destruction of red blood cells is observed. The body fluid contains an abundance of hemoglobin, which under normal conditions should be converted to bilirubin and immediately removed from the body in a natural way. However, during the formation of pathology, the liver begins to suffer from excessive loads. Excess bilirubin is concentrated in the blood, after which it is carried throughout the body and settles in the tissues.
Diagnostics
In order to diagnose jaundice, doctors resort to the following research methods:
- General and biochemical analysis of blood.
- The study of the composition of urine.
- Ultrasound analysis of the liver, bile ducts and pancreas.
- Liver biopsy.
- CT scan.
Treatment
The features of therapy for jaundice depend on how severe the disease is and in what form the pathology develops. For this reason, it is extremely important to conduct a high-quality diagnosis and accurately establish the nature of the ailment. Be that as it may, an effective solution is the use of conservative methods of treatment that eliminate the underlying disease that provokes jaundice. In cases where the pathology is in a neglected state, surgical intervention is used. It's about liver transplantation.
Conservative treatment for jaundice consists in the use of such methods:
- Taking steroids and antihistamines.
- Strict adherence to the diet prescribed by the attending physician.
- Phototherapy.
- Blood purification.
If doctors had to deal with viral hepatitis, treatment of jaundice in adults involves taking corticosteroids. However, such therapy is effective only with timely identification of the problem. Often with viral forms of hepatitis, it is difficult to achieve a stable remission. There is a high probability of developing dangerous complications that can only be eliminated by surgery.
The formation of jaundice is often associated with impaired mechanical outflow of bile. In such situations, the fight against the disease is the destruction of stones that are concentrated in the bile ducts. Successful treatment is facilitated by the use of appropriate physiotherapeutic procedures.
When jaundice is provoked by hepatitis A, patients usually recover without the use of antiviral drugs. In this case, doctors resort to ridding blood and tissues of toxins that accumulate in the body due to impaired liver function. For this, patients are prescribed intravenous administration of glucose, blood-purifying solutions, and vitamin complexes. In addition, they prescribe the use of drugs that protect against destruction of liver cells.
Nutrition for jaundice
What foods do not put an additional strain on the liver and help eliminate the symptoms of the disease? With the development of jaundice in adults, it is allowed to include in the daily diet:
- Low-fat dairy products.
- Steamed meat dishes.
- A small amount of low-fat fish.
- Rye crackers.
- Honey.
- Vegetable oil in a volume of not more than 50 grams per day.
- Sweet fruits.
As for the prohibited foods with jaundice, it is absolutely not recommended to eat fried foods, all kinds of preservation, smoked meats. Plant foods with a high level of acidity should also be excluded from the diet. The list of potentially dangerous foods includes eggs, butter bread, legumes, mushrooms, all kinds of sweets and creams. If we talk about drinks, do not drink tea, coffee and cocoa, regardless of the concentration of the composition. Among other things, it is extremely important to completely abandon alcohol.
Effects
What are the effects of jaundice? The main negative phenomenon as a result of the disease becomes damage to the liver cells. Even with the complete elimination of the pathology, the organ can no longer function as reliably as before. The danger of this consequence lies in the high probability of the development of inflammatory processes in the tissues of the liver and damage to the bile duct.
The transferred jaundice creates troubles during pregnancy. In this case, the expectant mother may suffer from liver dystrophy. A woman in a position has to endure regular pains in the right hypochondrium, suffer from frequent bouts of vomiting and quite noticeable skin itching. The result of jaundice can be premature birth or miscarriage.
Prevention
To avoid the development of the disease, it is worth consuming water only after boiling. It is important to wash the food thoroughly before cooking. First of all, it concerns the processing of fresh fruits and vegetables. Such decisions make it possible to significantly reduce the risk of infection by hepatitis pathogens.
In order to prevent personal hygiene, it is necessary to refuse to use other people's personal belongings. Among these, it is worth noting toothbrushes, combs, tools for doing manicure, razors.
Nowadays, there is the possibility of vaccination against jaundice. To avoid unnecessary problems, parents should be obliged to expose their children to the procedure.