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The liver handles the disposal and cleaning of bilirubinfrom the system. Bilirubin is a bile pigment -- yellow/brown -- that occurs as a natural result of the degradation of heme. When liver failure occurs, either chronically or temporarily, bilrubin is not disposed of, and eventually results in jaundice. also known as icterus (attributive adjective: "icteric"), is a yellowish discoloration of thealso known as icterus(attributive adjective: "icteric"), is a yellowish discoloration of the skin , sclarae (whites of the eyes) and mucous membranes caused by hyperbilirubinemia (increased levels of bilirubin in the blood). This hyperbilirubinemia subsequently causes increased levels of bilirubin in the extracellular fluids. Typically, the concentration of bilirubin in the plasma must exceed 1.5 mg/dL[1], three times the usual value of approximately 0.5mg/dL[1], for the coloration to be easily visible. Jaundice comes from the French word jaune, meaning yellow.

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16y ago

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