Diseases that may cause prehepatic jaundice:
Blood, hematopoietic organs-immune system (D50-D90).
- Hemolytic anemias (anemia) such as spherocytosis (spherocytic cell anemia) or sickle cell anemia (med. : drepanocytosis; also sickle cell anemia, sickle cell anemia): genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, which affects the erythrocytes (red blood cells); it belongs to the group of hemoglobinopathies (disorders of hemoglobin; formation of an irregular hemoglobin, the so-called sickle cell hemoglobin, HbS).
- Sarcoidosis (synonyms: Boeck’s disease; Schaumann-Besnier’s disease) – systemic disease of connective tissue with granuloma formation.
- Disorders in erythropoiesis (blood formation).
Diseases that can cause intrahepatic jaundice:
Congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99).
- Alagille syndrome – genetic disorder with autosomal dominant inheritance that is notable for hepatic bile duct malformations and other organ malformations; cholestasis (biliary obstruction) that causes jaundice even in the newborn; Typical facial abnormalities (broad forehead, deep-set eyes, hypertelorism/excessive interocular distance, narrow chin) and skeletal abnormalities (butterfly vertebrae, short distal phalanges, clinodactyly/lateral bending of one or more finger or toe limbs, shortened ulna/elbow).
- Zellweger syndrome (cerebral-hepatic-renal syndrome, cerebro-hepato-renal syndrome ) – genetic metabolic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance characterized by absence of peroxisomes (spherical membrane-bounded organelles); Syndrome with malformations of the brain, kidneys (multicystic kidney dysplasia), heart (especially ventricular septal defects), and hepatomegaly (enlargement of the liver); severe cognitive disability.
Certain conditions originating in the perinatal period (P00-P96).
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome type 1 – neonatal icterus caused by the absence of a specific enzyme (glucuronyltransferase).
- Dubin-Johnson syndrome – genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, which lead to excretion disorders of bilirubin; direct hyperbilirubinemia (strong increase in bilirubin levels in the blood); typical is a mild jaundice without pruritus (jaundice without itching); macroscopic: black liver due to bilirubin pigment storage in the lysosomes (cell organelles).
- Icterus neonatorum / Morbus hemolyticus neonatorum.
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).
- Hemochromatosis (iron storage disease) – genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance with increased deposition of iron as a result of increased iron concentration in the blood with tissue damage.
- Meulengracht’s disease (Gilbert’s syndrome) – genetic disease with autosomal dominant inheritance; disorder of bilirubin metabolism; most common familial form of hyperbilirubinemia (increased occurrence of bilirubin in the blood); usually asymptomatic; during fasting further increase in bilirubin, which may lead to slightly yellowish eyes
- Wilson’s disease (copper storage disease) – autosomal recessive inherited disease in which copper metabolism in the liver is disturbed by one or more gene mutations.
- Cystic fibrosis (ZF) – genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance, characterized by the production of secretions in various organs to be tamed.
- Rotor syndrome – genetic disease with autosomal recessive inheritance; hyperbilirubinemia; usually no symptoms except jaundice (icterus).
Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver) of any genesis.
- Tuberculosis (consumption)
Liver, gallbladder and bile ducts – pancreas (pancreas) (K70-K77; K80-K87).
- Budd-Chiari syndrome – thrombotic occlusion of the hepatic veins.
- Hepatitis (liver inflammation) of any genesis.
- Liver abscesses – encapsulated accumulation of pus in the liver.
- Liver cirrhosis – irreversible damage to the liver leading to gradual connective tissue remodeling of the liver with limitation of liver function.
- Byler disease (progressive familial intrahepatic cholestasis (PFIC)) – genetic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance; cholestasis (biliary stasis) leading to biliary cirrhosis (gallbladder-related scarring shrinkage of the liver and loss of functional tissue).
- Primary biliary cirrhosis – form of liver cirrhosis that occurs due to non-purulent bile duct inflammation; usually occurs in women
- Sepsis (endotoxins) – “blood poisoning“.
- Stasis liver
- Summerskill-Tygstrup syndrome (idiopathic recurrent cholestasis/bile stasis) – genetic disorder with autosomal recessive inheritance; benign form of hyperbilirubinemia (elevated bilirubin in the blood) with intermittent intrahepatic occlusive icterus in children and young adults; Familial hyperbilirubinemia syndromes with elevation of direct bilirubin; jaundice (jaundice) in the sclerae (white part of the eye) and mucous membranes, with more severe occurrence also clear of the skin
Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).
- Liver metastases
Pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium (O00-O99)
Injuries, poisoning, and other sequelae of external causes (S00-T98).
- Phenol exposure
- Mushroom poisoning
Diseases that can cause posthepatic jaundice:
Congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99).
- Alagille syndrome – congenital disorder notable for hepatic bile duct malformations and other organ malformations.
- Biliary atresia – congenital malformation describing the absence of bile ducts.
- Idiopathic ductopenia – an anomaly of the bile ducts, the cause of which is unknown.
Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).
- AIDS cholangiopathy – changes in the bile ducts caused by AIDS disease.
- Parasitosis – parasites in the area of the bile ducts.
- Tuberculosis (consumption)
Liver, gallbladder and bile ducts – pancreas (pancreas) (K70-K77; K80-K87).
- Budd-Chiari syndrome (hepatic vein occlusion).
- Cholangitis (inflammation of the bile duct)
- Choledocholithiasis – gallstones in the common bile duct.
- Liver cirrhosis – connective tissue remodeling of the liver with functional impairment.
- Pancreatic pseudocysts – cystic formation in the area of the pancreas.
- Pancreatitis (inflammation of the pancreas) – acute and chronic.
- Papillary stenosis – narrowing of the confluence of the bile duct with the small intestine.
- Pericholecystitis – inflammation of the gallbladder, which also infiltrates the surrounding tissue.
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis – chronic inflammatory bile duct inflammation.
- Strictures (narrowing) of the bile ducts
Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48)
- Cholangiocellular carcinoma (bile duct cancer).
- Pancreatic carcinoma (cancer of the pancreas)
- Tumors in the area of the bile ducts
Other differential diagnostic considerations
- Consumption of alcohol
- Idiopathic postoperative jaundice – jaundice of unclear cause occurring after surgery.
- Parenteral nutrition (via the vein) with fat overload.
Pseudoicterus
- Excessive consumption of vegetables such as carrots, leafy vegetables, zucchini.
- Excessive consumption of fruits such as oranges or peaches.
- Condition after fluorescein angiography