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URL of this page: //medlineplus.gov/ency/imagepages/8976.htm
Infant jaundice
Overview
Jaundice is a yellow discoloring of the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes, caused by too much bilirubin (a breakdown product of hemoglobin made by the liver) in the blood. Jaundice is a condition produced when excess amounts of bilirubin circulating in the blood stream dissolve in the subcutaneous fat (the layer of fat just beneath the skin), causing a yellowish appearance of the skin and the whites of the eyes.
Review Date 1/17/2025
Updated by: Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, General Pediatrician at PennCare for Kids, Phoenixville, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
