Question

A patient with jaundice caused by rupture of red blood cells would have ___________ jaundice.: A) posthepatic B) hepatic C) prehepatic D) posthepatic or hepatic

Answer 1

Answer :

Patient with jaundice caused by rupture of red blood cells would have PREHEPATIC JAUNDICE (C).

There are three main types of jaundice :

Pre-hepatic or hemolytic jaundice - due to excessive breakdown of red blood cells which leads to production of more unconjugated bilirubin.

The common causes of pre-hepatic jaundice are malaria, sickle cell anemia , thalasemmia, spherocytosis.

Hepatocellular jaundice - caused due to scarred ,damaged or dysfunctional liver. The most common causes are liver cirrhosis , viral hepatitis , alcoholic hepatitis , leptospirosis and liver carcinoma.

Post- hepatic or obstructive jaundice - due to obstruction in the drainage of bilirubin into the bile ducts. The common causes of post- hepatic jaundice are gall stones , biliary atresia , pancreatic cancer , pancreatitis and bile duct cancer.