Jaundice
Jaundice, yellow eyes or skin, is a sign, not a disease in itself. The real work is finding out why it is happening, and doing that quickly.
Medically reviewed by the RIIMS medical team · Last updated: June 2026
Go to hospital now
- Jaundice during pregnancy, at any stage
- Yellow eyes or skin with confusion, drowsiness or a disturbed sleep pattern
- Vomiting blood, or black tarry stools
- Jaundice with high fever and severe abdominal pain
See a doctor soon (not an emergency)
- Jaundice not improving after one to two weeks
- Jaundice with pale stools and dark urine, suggesting a blocked bile duct
- Jaundice appearing after starting a new medicine, herb or supplement
What does jaundice mean, and what causes it?
Jaundice means the eyes and skin have turned yellow because bilirubin, a substance the liver would normally clear, has built up in the blood. It is a sign, not a disease in itself, and it can point to several different problems: viral hepatitis, a gallstone blocking the bile duct, certain medicines, or a blood condition that breaks down red cells faster than usual. In Indian adults, hepatitis A and E, usually caught from contaminated water or food, are the commonest causes, and in an otherwise healthy adult both usually settle on their own within a few weeks. Pregnancy changes this picture completely. Hepatitis E in pregnancy, particularly in the later months, has a reported mortality as high as 20 to 30 percent, so any pregnant woman with jaundice needs immediate hospital assessment, not a wait-and-watch approach at home. Because most hepatitis A and E clears on its own within weeks regardless of what is taken during that time, home and local remedies often appear to work, since recovery was usually on the way regardless. The real risk is not the remedy itself but the delay it can cause: the small number of cases that are genuinely severe, or that occur in pregnancy, need a hospital during that same window, and lost days can matter.
Symptoms to watch for
- Yellowing of the eyes or skin
- Dark urine
- Pale or clay-coloured stools
- Itching
- Loss of appetite, nausea or vomiting
- Fever, especially with hepatitis A or E
When to consult a doctor
Any pregnant woman with jaundice needs same-day hospital assessment. For anyone else, yellow eyes with confusion, vomiting blood, black stools, or jaundice that is worsening rather than settling after one to two weeks, needs urgent medical attention.