Which sign indicates jaundice in a patient with liver disease?

Study for the NCLEX Hepatic and Biliary Exam. Enhance your knowledge with flashcards and multiple choice questions, featuring hints and explanations. Get prepared and boost your confidence for test day!

Multiple Choice

Which sign indicates jaundice in a patient with liver disease?

Explanation:
Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up in the blood and tissues, giving a yellow tint to exposed areas. The sclera of the eyes are highly sensitive to bilirubin, so yellowing of the sclera (scleral icterus) is the most recognizable and earliest sign of jaundice in liver disease. Dark brown urine can occur because bilirubin or its metabolites are excreted in urine, and clay-colored stool happens when bile pigments don’t reach the intestine due to bile flow disruption; neither is the hallmark sign of jaundice itself. Bluish mucous membranes point to other issues like cyanosis, not jaundice.

Jaundice occurs when bilirubin builds up in the blood and tissues, giving a yellow tint to exposed areas. The sclera of the eyes are highly sensitive to bilirubin, so yellowing of the sclera (scleral icterus) is the most recognizable and earliest sign of jaundice in liver disease.

Dark brown urine can occur because bilirubin or its metabolites are excreted in urine, and clay-colored stool happens when bile pigments don’t reach the intestine due to bile flow disruption; neither is the hallmark sign of jaundice itself. Bluish mucous membranes point to other issues like cyanosis, not jaundice.

Subscribe

Get the latest from Passetra

You can unsubscribe at any time. Read our privacy policy