DEFINITION



The term jaundice or icterus describes the yel­low pigmentation of skin, sclerae, and mucous membranes produced by increased serum biliru­bin (hyperbilirubinemia). Because jaundice is the most colorful and often the earliest sign of a va­riety of liver and biliary diseases, it has become a starting point for evaluating many of these dis­orders. Normal serum bilirubin concentrations range from 0.5 to 1.0 mg/dl. Jaundice usually be­comes clinically evident at levels exceeding 2.5 img/dl and is most readily detected in the sclerae and mucous membranes.