Which term is defined as "Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes"?

Which term is defined as "Yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes"?

• A. Kinetic
• B. Jaundice
• C. Insidious
• D. Intact

Answer: (B)

Jaundice is the term for yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes. This happens when bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced from the breakdown of red blood cells, builds up in the blood and tissues. Normally the liver processes bilirubin and it’s excreted in bile, but if the liver is diseased, bile flow is blocked, or there’s rapid red blood cell turnover, bilirubin rises and deposits in tissues. You’ll often notice yellowing first in the whites of the eyes (scleral icterus) and then in the skin. This distinction helps separate it from other terms: one describes motion, another describes a gradual onset of disease, and another means undamaged or whole.

Jaundice is the term for yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes. This happens when bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced from the breakdown of red blood cells, builds up in the blood and tissues. Normally the liver processes bilirubin and it’s excreted in bile, but if the liver is diseased, bile flow is blocked, or there’s rapid red blood cell turnover, bilirubin rises and deposits in tissues. You’ll often notice yellowing first in the whites of the eyes (scleral icterus) and then in the skin. This distinction helps separate it from other terms: one describes motion, another describes a gradual onset of disease, and another means undamaged or whole.