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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Yellow Discoloration In The Eyes?

I have a family member who is an alcoholic. About a month ago I noticed her eyes were yellow and told her she needed to go to the doctor and she blew me off. She spent the night at my house and when she went to the bathroom, she did not flush the toilet and her urine was orange. I again told her she needs to go to the doctor. Today at lunch, not only are her eyes yellow but the skin under her eyes are yellow. How severe is this liver damage or whatever it is, and should I just call 911????
Thu, 1 Sep 2016
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Diabetologist 's  Response
Hi,
I am Dr Mittal.
I have read your message.
I think I can help you.

First, if your family member wont mind it, just dial 911.
I think there is a very high chance that she has developed chronic liver disease secondary to the alcohol abuse. The liver disease is probably what is causing the yellowish eyes and skin.

I am not sure how seriously we should consider the orange urine. It can be a part of the problem. Alternatively, high colored urine may be present due to lack of water intake as well as the urine turns darker on standing (the mechanism for that is something that will not help her- so I wont get into that). Anyways, considering that flushing is a usual practice, I think there is a possibility that she may be in mild delirium (do note that she may just have forgotten plain and simple).

So I think you should definitely call for medical aid. At least get a LFT tested urgently along with a ultrasound of the abdomen (and a fiboscan if available).

I may however tell you that the mainstay of alcohol induced liver disease is stopping alcohol-permanently. So, if your sister is not willing to abstain from alcohol, no amount of medicines can help her.And abstaining is a problem, medically speaking. There are side effects of stopping alcohol which include seizures and death, and she will need medical supervision while she undergoes the process. These last are true specially for people who are dependant on alcohol- and her blasting you a month back when you told her about her jaundice is a feature of CAGE questionnaire that we use to diagnose alcohol dependance.

So, to answer your question, she is probably in a severe condition and needs urgent medical care.

I have tried to make it as simple as possible.
Please feel free to contact me as and when required for further information.
Best of luck,
Dr Saumya Mittal
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What Causes Yellow Discoloration In The Eyes?

Hi, I am Dr Mittal. I have read your message. I think I can help you. First, if your family member wont mind it, just dial 911. I think there is a very high chance that she has developed chronic liver disease secondary to the alcohol abuse. The liver disease is probably what is causing the yellowish eyes and skin. I am not sure how seriously we should consider the orange urine. It can be a part of the problem. Alternatively, high colored urine may be present due to lack of water intake as well as the urine turns darker on standing (the mechanism for that is something that will not help her- so I wont get into that). Anyways, considering that flushing is a usual practice, I think there is a possibility that she may be in mild delirium (do note that she may just have forgotten plain and simple). So I think you should definitely call for medical aid. At least get a LFT tested urgently along with a ultrasound of the abdomen (and a fiboscan if available). I may however tell you that the mainstay of alcohol induced liver disease is stopping alcohol-permanently. So, if your sister is not willing to abstain from alcohol, no amount of medicines can help her.And abstaining is a problem, medically speaking. There are side effects of stopping alcohol which include seizures and death, and she will need medical supervision while she undergoes the process. These last are true specially for people who are dependant on alcohol- and her blasting you a month back when you told her about her jaundice is a feature of CAGE questionnaire that we use to diagnose alcohol dependance. So, to answer your question, she is probably in a severe condition and needs urgent medical care. I have tried to make it as simple as possible. Please feel free to contact me as and when required for further information. Best of luck, Dr Saumya Mittal