Jaundice as a symptom of hepatitis C | Symptoms of Hepatitis C

Jaundice as a symptom of hepatitis C

Jaundice is also called icterus in medical terminology. It is a yellow coloration of the skin, mucous membrane and sclera (white part of the eyes). The coloration is caused by the fact that the so-called bilirubin is deposited there.

The liver is an important organ in the metabolism of the human body. Among other things, the liver is used for detoxification and the disposal of waste products. With the help of the bilirubin, fatty substances are disposed of from the body.

If there is now a disease of the liver, such as hepatitis C, this detoxification process is disturbed. The bilirubin is still produced, but it can no longer be excreted. Therefore it is deposited in the body after a certain time.

In the sclerae, the yellow coloration is usually noticeable from an amount of 2 mg/dl, in the skin a bilirubin value of over 3 mg/dl is necessary. Jaundice is often accompanied by severe itching. In addition, the urine becomes darker with simultaneous decoloration of the stool. This is because the bilirubin cannot be excreted in the stool. Instead, parts have to be washed out of the body through the urine.

Upper abdominal pain on the right in hepatitis C

The liver is located in the right upper abdomen. There it lies directly behind the ribs. This bony structure protects it well against mechanical influences from outside the body.

In addition, the liver is encased in a solid capsule. On the one hand, this capsule serves to protect the organ, on the other hand, the liver is connected to the surrounding organs and structures via this capsule. Hepatitis C is an acute or chronic inflammation of the liver.

Initially, the liver enlarges due to the inflammatory processes as water is stored (hepatic edema). Changes in the liver itself cannot be perceived through pain because there are no corresponding nerve fibers. Pain is only caused by the stretching of the liver capsule.The capsule is connected to pain-conducting nerve fibers and can trigger the feeling of pain in the brain. In most cases, this pain cannot be assigned to a specific point, but rather the pain is felt in the entire right upper abdomen.