icterus - Reflexions

icterus

Icterus is a yellow discoloration of the skin, commonly known as jaundice.
Icterus occurs if the liver is suffering from an acute disease, such as hepatitis, but it can also be the sign of hepatic decompensation, when the liver damaged by cirrhosis can no longer process bilirubin (resulting from a degradation of the red blood cells). When this bilirubin can no longer be evacuated through the bile to the digestive system, it accumulates in the blood. The skin and the whites of the eyes become yellow while the stools turn pale ("clay" coloured). Icterus may be accompanied by severe itching, due to the accumulation of bile salts under the skin.