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Jaundice is a complication of decreased liver function manifested with a change in the color of the skin and the white part of the eye, called sclera, as a result of increased levels of bilirubin found in the body due to liver dysfunction. Bilirubin is a substance normally found in the body that is left after the removal of iron from the hemoglobin complex. Bilirubin is yellow which is the reason the skin and sclera turn yellowish after spreading throughout the body.
The change in color usually begins in the head area and then spreads down the body. Jaundice can be a result of different causes including a liver disease or injury, inflammation or obstruction of the bile duct, or hemolytic anemia among others.
Aside from skin and sclera yellowing, jaundice can be manifested by many other symptoms such as itchiness, weight loss, persistent fatigue, dark urine, pale stools, and fever.
