Icterus

Commonly known as ‘Jaundice’, Icterus is the yellowish pigmentation of the mucus membranes, skin and eyes (sclera). So one can easily identify a person affected by the disease. The word is the Latinized from the Greek word ‘ikteros’ which signifies both Jaundice and a yellow bird. People generally misinterpret it as scleral icterus which is the name for detection of Jaundice in conjunctiva of the eye.The first and most predominant cause of this disease is the acute liver failure. Alcoholic liver disease, hepatitis are also major causes. Diagnosis is performed according to the pathological report, and it may be pre-hepatic, hepatic or post-hepatic.