JAUNDICE
Causes of jaundice
What is jaundice?
Bilirubin (bil-ih-ROO-bin) is a yellow-colored substance that is responsible for the yellowing of the skin and sclerae in jaundice.
Bilirubin is a waste product that remains in the bloodstream after iron is removed from hemoglobin in red blood cells. When there is an excess of bilirubin, it can leak out into surrounding tissues, saturating them with this yellow substance. Bilirubin that is circulating freely in the blood is called unconjugated bilirubin.
One of the liver's functions is to filter out waste, such as bilirubin, from the blood.
Once bilirubin is in the liver, other chemicals are latched on to it, creating a substance called conjugated bilirubin, which is secreted in bile (a digestive juice released by the liver) and then excreted. A product of bilirubin is what gives feces its brown color.