Symptom 2. Jaundice: The Yellow Warning Light
Jaundice, characterized by the yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes, is a signal that your liver isn’t performing its functions as expected. One of the liver’s key responsibilities is to process and eliminate bilirubin, a waste product in your body. When bilirubin accumulates in the bloodstream, it manifests as this yellow discoloration, indicating a glitch in your liver’s operations.
The mechanisms behind the liver’s struggle to process bilirubin could be myriad, ranging from liver disease and hepatitis to severe conditions like liver cancer. It’s important to note that jaundice is not a disease in itself, but rather an alarm bell, a symptom that indicates a problem with your liver.
Another aspect of jaundice that’s worth noting is that it doesn’t occur in a vacuum. There are other symptoms that jaundice can cause or come along with, such as dark urine and pale stools. Bilirubin, as it continues to build up, has to find a way out of the body. It often exits through urine, making it darker, and its absence in the stool, which it typically colors, results in pale or clay-colored stools. These are additional signs to watch out for, indicating that your liver might be struggling. (2)
