The doctor warned about possible liver diseases with yellowing of the skin

Jaundice is a yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes that occurs when excess bilirubin accumulates in the blood. Olga Ulankina, an expert doctor at the Hemotest Laboratory, told Izvestia on September 7.

"Biloglobulin is a yellow pigment that is formed during the breakdown of red blood cells and is normally rapidly excreted by the liver. But if the organ is disrupted, bilirubin accumulates in the blood and enters the tissues, and they acquire a yellowish tint," she explained.

The causes of jaundice can be different: liver diseases (hepatitis, cirrhosis), blockage of the bile ducts by stones or tumors, blood diseases in which red blood cells are destroyed too quickly, and bilirubin is formed in too large quantities.

The doctor notes that sometimes yellowing of the skin is harmless. For example, it can be caused by too many carrots and pumpkins in the diet. This condition is called false or carotene jaundice, it occurs due to the accumulation of carotene in the skin, not bilirubin. However, this rarely happens, so yellowing of the skin is the reason to check your health without delay.

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If jaundice is caused by a malfunction of the liver, then in addition to yellowing of the skin and eyes, people often notice darkening of urine and lightening of feces. Other symptoms may appear, such as itchy skin, weakness, loss of appetite, and pain in the right upper abdomen.

"If the cause is a violation of the hematopoietic system, then jaundice will be accompanied by pallor, dizziness, and an increased pulse. These are all warning signs, and you don't need to wait for the symptoms to go away on their own," the doctor warned.

Physiological jaundice in newborns is relatively safe. This is a common occurrence, it is caused by immaturity of the liver and usually resolves on its own or with minimal intervention by doctors. In adults, sudden yellowing of the skin is almost always associated with liver, biliary tract, or blood disease. Therefore, an adult cannot ignore the symptom.

If diseases of the liver or the hematopoiesis system are not detected in time and corrected by treatment, they can lead to serious consequences — the development of liver failure, impaired brain function.

In addition, bilirubin itself is toxic in high concentrations: it damages the cells of the nervous system, impairs metabolic processes and weakens the body.

On July 24, endocrinologist Elena Fedorova told Izvestia that hypoglycemia, a condition caused by a sharp decrease in blood glucose levels, can manifest itself in various symptoms during sleep, which it is important to recognize in time. According to her, nocturnal hypoglycemia is accompanied not only by excessive sweating, but also by other alarming signs: unreasonable feelings of panic, trembling in the body, rapid heartbeat, severe hunger, dizziness and general weakness.

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