Image 1 reproduced with permission from CDC/ Dr. Thomas F. Sellers/Emory University
Jaundice is not a disease but a clinical sign also known as ‘icterus’.
It is yellow discolouration of the skin, sclerea and mucous membranes caused by raised plasma bilirubin [1].
Clinical jaundice may only become apparent when serum bilirubin is greater than 51 micromol/L. Normal levels are lower than 21 [1,2].