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Alcoholism And Jaundice
Jaundice is the yellow staining of the skin and eyes due to the presence of excessive amount of bilirubin in the blood. The yellowness may extend to other tissues of the body, and may result in darker colored urine. |
Generally hemoglobin is produced in the blood and the dead hemoglobin is broken down in the spleen leading to the production of bilirubin as a byproduct. This bilirubin is then transported to the liver where it absorbed by the bile and then excreted out of the body along with the feces. That is why our feces have a characteristic yellowish-brown color.
Alcoholism is an evil addiction which affects both the physical and mental state. Usually depression is largely discussed as a major side effect of alcoholism. But, there is more to alcohol abuse than just psychological trauma. The physical damage caused by alcohol is often ignored or it goes unnoticed. An alcoholic can suffer from jaundice.
This is not just a mere possibility, but a sure possibility. Jaundice occurs whenever human body fails to eliminate bilirubin out of the blood or the body. The excretion of bilirubin can be interrupted when excessive amount of red blood cells are destroyed by any liver infection or liver disease.
Alcoholism can easily lead to liver infections. In fact, alcohol is considered one of the biggest causes of jaundice. Jaundice does not lead to drinking alcohol, but alcoholism is responsible for liver failure, which in turn leads to jaundice. Hence, we find a relation between alcohol and jaundice.
Jaundice caused by alcoholism can be fatal at times. An alcoholic suffering from jaundice has to stop drinking completely in order to get cured. If this does not happen, the prognosis is not good. In addition, once the liver is damaged due to jaundice, it can also lead to cirrhosis, which is again fatal if not treated immediately and adequately.
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