Jaundice is a symptom. It signals underlying liver/bilirubin metabolism disorder. and has become common among newborns as well. When a yellow-orange bile pigment, bilirubin, increases in your body, it causes jaundice. As a result, the skin and whites of the eyes turn yellow. On this page, we will explore what level of jaundice is dangerous to health, with causes and treatment.
High levels of bilirubin lead to jaundice. You can identify jaundice when a healthcare provider tests your bilirubin levels. Bilirubin tests are a common medical procedure that can evaluate your liver health and assess the presence of various liver enzymes in the blood.
If the test reveals a sign that your liver is having problems, whether they are high or low. High levels of bilirubin indicate that you are dealing with jaundice. Your jaundice becomes dangerous when the bilirubin levels continue to rise. If your bilirubin levels exceed 2 mg/dl, it indicates jaundice in adults. However, if the levels go higher than 18 mg/dl, they are considered to be affected by jaundice.
Jaundice itself is a dangerous disease that can affect the liver of infants and adults. These are the common symptoms when jaundice reaches a dangerous stage:
You can identify that you have jaundice by experiencing some symptoms. These are yellowishness of your skin and whites in your eyes, high fever, sudden chills, and pain in your belly. The table below shows the causes of severe jaundice, which are categorised into three stages:
Stages | Causes |
Prehepatic | Jaundice shows that bilirubin is not being converted by the liver. Hyperbilirubinemia is the accumulation of too much unconjugated bilirubin. |
Hepatic | In this stage, liver diseases are the cause of jaundice. This dysfunction results from the conversion of healthy tissue into fibrous tissue. |
Posthepatic | The buildup of conjugated bilirubin following liver damage results in jaundice. This stage of jaundice results from the body’s inability to eliminate the conjugated bilirubin. |
Since jaundice is caused by the conversion of red blood cells into conjugated bilirubin, it is crucial to treat it. However, treatment is focused on reducing the underlying cause of the disease. Below are some of the treatment and preventive measures for severe jaundice:
Jaundice is a disease caused by the excessive breakdown of red blood cells. Jaundice becomes dangerous when the bilirubin levels exceed 2 mg/dl in adults and 15 mg/dl in children. This can result in symptoms like yellowishness in your skin, pale-coloured stool and urine, tiredness, and other symptoms of flu. It is crucial to contact emergency services or visit a gastroenterologist right away if you think you or someone else may be suffering from jaundice.