Jaundice

Jaundice is when your skin and the whites of your eyes turn yellow. It can be a sign of something serious, such as liver disease, so you need to get urgent medical help.

Urgent advice:Get advice from 111 now if:

• your skin and the whites of your eyes look yellow

You may also have itchy skin, darker pee and paler poo than usual.

111 will tell you what to do. They can arrange a phone call from a nurse or doctor if you need one.

Go to 111.nhs.uk or call 111.

Other ways to get help

Yellowed skin is a symptom of jaundice

The whites of your eyes may also look yellow

Causes of jaundice

Jaundice is caused by the build-up in your body of a yellow substance called bilirubin.

There are lots of possible reasons for this and some of them are serious.

They include:

• gallstones
• alcoholic liver disease
• pancreatitis
• hepatitis
• sickle cell disease

Treatments for jaundice depend on what's causing it.

Information:

Newborn jaundice

Jaundice is common in newborn babies and is usually harmless.

Find out about newborn jaundice