Hyperbilirubinemia

Hyperbilirubinemia is the excess of bilirubin in the blood, this can cause Jaundice also known as icterus;a term used to describe a yellowish tinge of the skin and the sclerae (the white part of the eye. Bilirubin is a waste product that remains in the blood stream after iron is removed from hemoglobin in red blood cells. When there is an excess of bilirubin, it can leak out into the sorrounding tissues, saturating them with the yellow substance. Unconjugated bilirubin is bilirubin freely circulating in the blood.
The liver filters out wastes like bilirubin, once bilirubin is in the liver, other chemicals are latched on it, creating conjugated bilirubin secreted in the bile and then excreted. A product of bilirubin called stercobilinogen gives feaces its brown colour.

Causes of jaundice
1. Acute inflammation of the liver:thismay impair the ability of the liver to conjugate and secrete bilirubin, which will result in a build up of bilirubin.
2. Inflammation of bile duct
3. Hemolytic anemia
4. Gilbert's syndrome
5. Cholestasis
6. Crigler-Najjar syndrome
7. Dubin-Johnson syndrome
8. Pseudojaundice:a harmless form of jaundice in which the yellowing of the skin results from an excess of beta-carotene not from an excess of bilirubin but usually from eating lots of carrots, pumpkin or melon.

Symptoms
1. Yellow tinge to the skin and sclerae, normally starting from the head down to the body, pruritis, fatigue, abdominal pain (indicating a typical blockage of the bile duct), weight loss, vomiting, fever, paler than usual stools, dark

Types of jaundice
1. Hapatocellular jaundice
2. Hemolytic jaundice
3. Obstructive jaundice

Diagnosis
Full blood count, bilirubin tests, hepatitis A, B and C tests, abdominal ultrasonography, CT scan, endoscopic retrograde cholangio pancreatography.

Treatment
Anemia induced jaundice can be treated by increasing the iron amount in the blood; either by taking iron supplements, or eating iron enriched foods. Hepatitis induced jaundice can be treated with anti-viral or steroid medications.
Obstruction-induced jaundice may be treated with surgical removal of obstruction.

Prevention
It is essential that individuals maintain the liver as it is a vita organ of the body by eating a balanced diet, exercising regularly, and refraining from exceeding recommended amount of alcohol. @Eluwa Kelechi