Jaundice is a condition in which a person's skin and the whites of the eyes are discolored yellow due to an increased level of bile pigments in the blood resulting from liver disease.
noun. 1  Also called : : icterus yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to the abnormal presence of bile pigments in the blood, as in hepatitis. 2  a mental state of bitterness, jealousy, and ill humour resulting in distorted judgment. 1 Also called : : icterus yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to the abnormal presence of bile pigments in the blood, as in hepatitis. Jaundice is a condition in which a person's skin and the whites of the eyes are discolored yellow due to an increased level of bile pigments in the blood resulting from liver disease. Jaundice is sometimes called icterus, from a Greek word for the condition. Jaundice is not a disease; it is a symptom of a number of different diseases and disorders of the liver and gallbladder and of hemolytic blood disorders. One such disorder is the presence of a gallstone in the common bile duct, which carries bile from the liver to the intestine. Jaundice is often seen in liver disease such as hepatitis or liver cancer. It may also indicate leptospirosis or obstruction of the biliary tract, for example by gallstones or pancreatic cancer, or less commonly be congenital in origin (e.g., biliary atresia). The main symptom of jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white area of the eye and the skin. Urine is dark in colour. The conjunctiva of the eye are one of the first tissues to change color as bilirubin levels rise in jaundice. This is sometimes referred to as scleral icterus Jaundice: Yellow staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) by abnormally high blood levels of the bile pigment bilirubin. The yellowing extends to other tissues and body fluids. Jaundice was once called the morbus regius (the regal disease) in the belief that only the touch of a king could cure it. Jaundice can also result from the excessive breakdown of red blood cells (a process called hemolysis) and too much bilirubin is released into the bloodstream. This occurs typically in the hemolytic anemias (as opposed to the aplastic anemias in which not enough red cells are produced). Noun. 1. jaundice-yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes caused by an accumulation of bile pigment (bilirubin) in the blood; can be a symptom of gallstones or liver infection or anemia. n. 1. Yellowish discoloration of the whites of the eyes, skin, and mucous membranes caused by deposition of bile salts in these tissues. It occurs as a symptom of various diseases, such as hepatitis, that affect the processing of bile. Also called icterus. 2 Full Definition of JAUNDICE. 1. : yellowish pigmentation of the skin, tissues, and body fluids caused by the deposition of bile pigments. 2. : a disease or abnormal condition characterized by jaundice. 3. : a state or attitude characterized by satiety, distaste, or hostility Jaundice, also known as icterus, is a yellowish pigmentation of the skin, the conjunctival membranes over the sclerae (whites of the eyes), and other mucous membranes caused by high blood bilirubin levels. This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluid. The main symptom of jaundice is a yellowish discoloration of the white area of the eye and the skin. Urine is dark in colour. The conjunctiva of the eye are one of the first tissues to change color as bilirubin levels rise in jaundice. This is sometimes referred to as scleral icterus
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