What is prehepatic Jaundice and posthepatic jaundice?

Answer 1

Jaundice is a condition where the skin turns yellow because of excess bilirubin in the bloodstream. It happens when your liver is not functioning properly, which can be due to a number of factors. Hepatitis is a virus which can cause liver disease, and thus cause Jaundice.

Answer 2

Hepatic Jaundice is caused by the livers inability to soak up and filter Billirubin from the blood stream. Its is primarily caused by damaged liver cells and can be associated with Cirrhosis, Hepatitis or Cancer. Post Hepatic Jaundice is caused by the livers inability to excrete billirubin into gall bladder via the common biliary duct. The livers inability to excrete billirubin causes it to build up in the liver and result in post hepatic jaundice. Common causes of the inability to excrete through the biliary duct include Gall Stones or a severely inflamed Gall Bladder.

Answer 3

Pre-hepatic jaundice is jaundice that originates from a problem before the liver. The main example of this is haemolysis - when excess red blood cells are broken down.

One of the products of this is bilirubin. This causes the hepatocytes (liver cells) to become overwhelmed - they cannot keep up with the amount of unconjugated bilirubin entering the liver. This then enters the systemic circulation, causing jaundice. Bilirubin is a pigment that turns tissues yellow.

Post-hepatic jaundice occurs after the liver has conjugated the bilirubin. This is usually a blockage of the bile duct(s). This stops bile from exiting the liver through the normal way, forcing it backwards and into the systemic circulation (causing jaundice).