Jaundice in adults: find the cause before the cure
Yellow eyes and dark urine mean bilirubin has risen in the blood. That is a finding, not a disease. Treating it without knowing why is how weeks get lost.
The three broad causes
- The liver itself is inflamed — hepatitis from a virus, alcohol, or a medicine
- The bile duct is blocked — a gallstone, a narrowing, or a growth
- Red blood cells are breaking down faster than normal
A blocked duct may need a procedure. Viral hepatitis usually needs rest and time. A blood problem needs something else entirely. One ultrasound and a set of blood tests usually separate them within a day.
A word on home remedies
Many families try home remedies and traditional treatments while the jaundice settles. The thing to watch is the delay — if the cause turns out to be a blocked bile duct, it needs attention early, and weeks lost are hard to get back.
Go to a hospital the same day if there is
- Drowsiness, confusion, or odd behaviour
- Vomiting of blood, or black stools
- High fever with chills along with the jaundice
- Yellow deepening quickly over a few days
- Jaundice during pregnancy
What to bring
- Any blood reports already done, especially LFT
- The ultrasound, if one has been done
- Every medicine, supplement or herbal preparation taken in the last three months — bring the actual packets
Have a report you want looked at?
Send it on WhatsApp before you come. The clinic runs Monday to Saturday, 9 to 11 in the morning, in Vikaspuri.
Ask about jaundice This article is general information. It cannot replace an examination and your own reports. Please do not start or stop any medicine on your own.Read next
- When liver disease starts affecting the mindFamilies notice it as forgetfulness, irritability or sleeping all day, and usually blame age or weakness. It is the liver, and it is usually reversible.
- Vomiting blood in a liver patient: why it happensIn cirrhosis this is almost always a burst vein in the food pipe. How to recognise it, and what to do in the first few minutes.
- Ascites: when the stomach fills with fluidThe commonest reason a cirrhosis patient reaches us. Salt matters more than water, and some ordinary painkillers make it worse.