What Is Jaundice?
Reviewed: Dr. Gromatzky
2. Pre-Hepatic Jaundice
Jaundice can be broken down into different categories, one of which is pre-hepatic. The term applies to the fact that the issue occurs before the liver produces bile. It is caused when the rate of destruction of the red blood cells is considerably higher than it usually would be.
This increased rate of red blood cell breakdown results in a higher than usual volume of bilirubin, and the liver is sometimes unable to keep up with the increased workload. This then results in higher levels of bilirubin in the blood, giving the patient that characteristic yellow appearance that makes jaundice so recognizable.
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