Causes of jaundice

Jaundice is caused by a build-up of a substance called bilirubin in the blood an

d tissues of the body.
Any condition that disrupts the movement of bilirubin from the blood to the live
r and out of the body can cause jaundice.
Bilirubin
Bilirubin is a waste product created when red blood cells break down. It's trans
ported in the bloodstream to the liver, where it's combined with a digestive flu
id called bile.
This eventually passes out of the body in urine or stools. It's bilirubin that g
ives urine its light yellow colour and stools their dark brown colour.
Types of jaundice
There are three types of jaundice, depending on what's affecting the movement of
bilirubin out of the body.
Pre-hepatic jaundice
Pre-hepatic jaundice occurs when a condition or infection speeds up the breakdow
n of red blood cells. This causes bilirubin levels in the blood to increase, tri
ggering jaundice.
Causes of pre-hepatic jaundice include:
malaria
a blood-borne infection spread by mosquitoes
sickle cell anaemia
an inherited blood disorder where the red blood cells develo
p abnormally; it's most common among black Caribbean, black African and black Br
itish people
thalassaemia similar to sickle cell; it's most common in people of Mediterranean
, Middle Eastern and, in particular, South Asian descent
Crigler-Najjar syndrome
a genetic syndrome where an enzyme needed to help move b
ilirubin out of the blood and into the liver is missing
hereditary spherocytosis a genetic condition that causes red blood cells to have
a much shorter life span than normal
Intra-hepatic jaundice
Intra-hepatic jaundice happens when a problem in the liver
for example, damage d
ue to infection or alcohol, disrupts the liver s ability to process bilirubin.
Causes of intra-hepatic jaundice include:
the viral hepatitis group of infections hepatitis A, hepatitis B and hepatitis C
alcoholic liver disease where the liver is damaged as a result of drinking too m
uch alcohol
leptospirosis a bacterial infection that's spread by animals, particularly rats
glandular fever a viral infection caused by the Epstein-Barr virus
drug misuse leading causes are ecstasy and overdoses of paracetamol
primary biliary cirrhosis
a rare condition that causes progressive liver damage
Gilbert's syndrome a common genetic syndrome where the liver has problems breaki
ng down bilirubin at a normal rate
liver cancer a rare and usually incurable cancer that develops inside the liver
exposure to substances known to be harmful to the liver
such as phenol (used in
the manufacture of plastic) or carbon tetrachloride (widely used in the past in
processes such as refrigeration, although now its use is strictly controlled)
autoimmune hepatitis a rare condition where the immune system starts to attack t
he liver
primary sclerosing cholangitis
a rare type of liver disease that causes long-las
ting (chronic) inflammation of the liver
Dubin-Johnson syndrome a rare genetic syndrome where the liver is unable to move
bilirubin out of the liver
Post-hepatic jaundice
Post-hepatic jaundice is triggered when the bile duct system is damaged, inflame
d or obstructed, which results in the gallbladder being unable to move bile into
the digestive system.
Causes of post-hepatic jaundice include:
gallstones obstructing the bile duct system
pancreatic cancer

gallbladder cancer or bile duct cancer

pancreatitis
inflammation of the pancreas, which can either be acute pancreatiti
s (lasting for a few days) or chronic pancreatitis (lasting for many years)
Some causes of jaundice are common, such as hepatitis and gallstones, whereas ot
her causes, such as Crigler-Najjar syndrome and Dubin-Johnson syndrome, are much
rarer.
Page last reviewed: 09/02/2015
Next review due: 09/02/2017
http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Jaundice/Pages/Causes.aspx