Jaundice Flashcards
(29 cards)
What is jaundice?
Yellowing of sclera and skin
What are the types of jaundice?
Pre-hepatic
Intra-hepatic
Post-hepatic
What is the cause of pre-hepatic jaundice?
Haemolytic anaemia
increased breakdown of red blood cells, haemaglobin, haem into unconjugated bilirubin
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect bilirubin levels in the blood?
High unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
How jaundiced is a patient with pre-hepatic jaundice?
Mild jaundice, yellow tinge
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect liver function?
Liver does more work
conjugates more bilirubin
excretes more conjugated bilirubin in bile
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect urobilinogen? Why?
Increased urobilinogen in the gut, blood and urine
because more conjugated bilirubin in bile in gut
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect urine? Why?
Normal urine
no conjugated bilirubin in the blood, none excreted into urine
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect stercobilin? Why?
Increased stercobilin in the gut and faeces
because more urobilinogen in gut
How does pre-hepatic jaundice affect stools? Why?
Darker stools
increased stercobilin in the stools makes them darker
What is the cause of intra-hepatic jaundice?
Liver does not conjugate bilirubin, excrete conjugated bilirubin
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect bilibrubin levels in the blood? Why?
Raised unconjugated bilirubin in the blood
raised conjugated bilirubin in the blood
back up into the blood
How jaundiced is a patient with intra-hepatic jaundice?
Moderate jaundice, orange tinge
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect urobilinogen? Why?
Normal urobilinogen in gut, blood, urine
because some conjugated bilirubin enters the gut in bile
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect urine? Why?
Darker urine
because conjugated bilirubin in the blood is excreted into the urine
is a brown colour
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect stercobilin? Why?
Normal stercobilin in gut and faeces
because urobilinogen levels are normal
How does intra-hepatic jaundice affect stools? Why?
Normal
because normal stercobilin levels in the faeces
What is the cause of post-hepatic jaundice?
Biliary tree does not carry conjugated bilirubin in bile from the liver to the duodenum
How does post-hepatic jaundice affect bilirubin levels in the blood? Why?
Raised levels of conjugated bilirubin in the blood
because it backs up
How jaundiced is a patient with post-hepatic jaundice?
Severe jaundice, green tinge
How does post-hepatic jaundice affect urobilinogen?
Low levels of urobilinogen in the gut, blood, urine
because conjugated bilirubin isn’t entering the gut in bile
How does post-hepatic jaundice affect the urine? Why?
Darker urine
because conjugated bilirubin in the blood is excreted into the urine
is a brown colour
How does post-hepatic jaundice affect stercobilin?
Low levels of stercobilin in gut and faeces
because low levels of urobilinogen
How does post-hepatic jaundice affect stools?
Pale stools
because low levels of stercobilin in stools
