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Jaundice

Jaundice

Bilirubin is the residual element in the blood after the hemoglobin is removed. Normally the liver removes this bilirubin from the blood and it passes out through the feces. When the body has too much bilirubin, the resulting condition is called jaundice. Excess bilirubin starts circulating within the body leading to yellowing of skin and whites of the eyes. Jaundice is caused either due to inflammation of the liver or due to an obstruction in the bile duct. Other possible causes of jaundice are pancreatic cancer and cirrhosis. A patient suffering from jaundice has pale stools, dark urine and nausea.

Jaundice is determined by measuring the level of bilirubin in the blood. ALT blood test or AST blood tests help in determining this. Ultrasonography or CT scan of the liver, pancreas and bile ducts can help in identifying the cause of jaundice.

Leptospirosis

Leptospirosis is a bacterial infection caused by Leptospira interrogans bacterium. This is also known as infectious jaundice, swamp feer and hemorrhagic jaundice . Leptospirosis is more prevalent in tropical areas especially in areas where there are animals or rodents in urban dwellings. This infection spreads through contact with water, food, or soil containing urine from infected animals. It usually does not spread from person to person.

Typical symproms of Leptospirosis include high fever, muscle aches, vomiting and jaundice. The patient might suffer chills and headache. Other symptoms of leptospirosis are diarrhea, abdominal pain and skin rash. Left untreated, leptospirosis can lead to meningitis, kidney failure and liver failure. Since the symptoms are not very specific, this disease is likely to be neglected. A blood test for Leptospira is done to diagnose the infection. This will show increased liver enzymes and WBC count of less than 10,000. A urine analysis will show abnormality. Leptospirosis is treated with antibiotics, such as doxycycline or penicillin.

Hepatoma

Hepatoma is primary liver cancer which occurs in the liver itself and did not spread from another area of the body to the liver. Often associated with cirrhosis of liver and hepatitis B infections, malignant hepatoma is common among alcoholics. It is found in people above 40 years of age and more noticed among men than women.

While the exact cause of malignant hepatoma is not known, there are several risk factors that contributes to the cause of hepatoma. These include being above 40 years of age, male sex, history of cirrhosis and exposure to hepatitis viruses B, C, D and G. Symptoms of malignant hepatoma may be the same as other liver diseases, including pain and swelling in the abdominal area, loss of weight, appetite, jaundice, fatigue and fever. Crucial pain extending to the back and shoulder is another symptom, when the cancer progresses. A collection of fluid known as ascites in the abdomen occurs in some patients, while some show signs of bleeding in the digestive tract.

The procedure for diagnosis is for the medical practitioner to go through the medical history of the patient first and physically examine the patient's abdomen for lumps if any. The liver could be swollen, hard and sore. Certain diagnostic parameters inclusive of blood tests are conducted to determine and evaluate the liver condition and function. An ultrasound and CT scan are undertaken to detect possible tumors in the liver. If necessary, a sample of liver tissue is sent for a biopsy to confirm if the hepatoma is malignant. Sometimes, a doctor looks for chest x-ray to understand if the liver tumor is primary or has spread to the lungs as well.

Hepatomas are neither contagious nor hereditary. They could be cured, if detected in the early stages. But unfortunately, most hepatomas are detected late making the rate of survival very low. In most advanced stages, malignant hepatoma cannot be cured although treated to relieve pain. Surgery is recommended if cancer is contained in one lobe of the liver and the patient is healthy enough without afflictions of cirrhosis, jaundice or ascited. Sometimes, chemotherapy or radiation therapy is undertaken to destroy the cancer cells in order to slow the disease spread. Although chemotherapy is not very successful but is tried in patients whose tumor is too large or advanced to be surgically resected. Liver transplant is adopted in patients who suffer acute liver damage with too large a portion of the tumor in the liver.