Cause of Jaundice
Causes in children include:
newborn jaundice (physiologic jaundice)
breastfeeding jaundice
breast milk jaundice
viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E)
hemolytic anemia
disorders present since birth that cause problems processing bilirubin (Gilbert's syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor's syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndromes)
biliary atresia
autoimmune hepatitis
malaria
Breastfeeding jaundice may occur in the first week of life in more than 1 in 10 breastfed infants. The cause is thought to be inadequate milk intake, leading to dehydration or low caloric intake. It is a type of physiologic or exaggerated physiologic jaundice.
Breast milk jaundice is far less common and occurs in about 1 in 200 babies. Here the jaundice isn’t usually visible until the baby is a week old. It often reaches its peak during the second or third week. Breast milk jaundice can be caused by substances in mom's milk that decrease the infant’s liver’s ability to deal with bilirubin. Breast milk jaundice rarely causes any problems, whether it is treated or not. It is usually not a reason to stop nursing.
Causes in adults include:
blocked bile ducts (by infection, tumor or gallstones)
viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E)
drug-induced cholestasis (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the effects of drugs)
drug-induced hepatitis (hepatitis triggered by erythromycin sulfa drugs, antidepressants, anti-cancer drugs, Aldomet, rifampin, steroids, chlorpropamide, tolbutamide, oral contraceptives, testosterone, propylthiouracil)
biliary stricture
alcoholic liver disease (alcoholic cirrhosis)
cancer of the pancreas
primary biliary cirrhosis
ischemic hepatocellular jaundice (jaundice caused by inadequate oxygen or inadequate blood flow to the liver)
intrahepatic cholestasis of pregnancy (bile pools in the gallbladder because of the pressure in the abdomen with pregnancy)
hemolytic anemia
disorders present since birth that cause problems processing bilirubin (Gilbert's syndrome, Dubin-Johnson syndrome, Rotor's syndrome, or Crigler-Najjar syndromes)
chronic active hepatitis
autoimmune hepatitis
malaria
Update Date: 6/14/2004
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http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003243.htm
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