Symptoms of Jaundice

The main sign of jaundice is yellowing, but other symptoms help point to the cause.

Main signs

• Yellow skin and whites of the eyes. In darker skin the eyes and the inside of the mouth show it best.
• Dark, tea-coloured urine
• Pale, clay-coloured stools when bile is blocked

Other symptoms

• Itching, especially with a blocked bile duct
• Tiredness and weakness
• Loss of appetite, nausea and vomiting
• Pain in the upper right abdomen
• Fever and chills with infection or bile duct inflammation
• Weight loss with long-term illness or cancer
• Swollen abdomen or legs in advanced liver disease

In newborns

• Yellow colour starting on the face and moving down to the chest, belly and legs
• Sleepiness, poor feeding, fewer wet nappies

See a doctor the same day

Any yellow colour in an adult or child, or in a baby, should be checked promptly.

Emergency signs: call 112 or go to hospital

• Confusion, extreme drowsiness or unusual behaviour
• Vomiting blood or black stools, or easy bleeding
• Severe abdominal pain with fever
• A newborn who is very sleepy, not feeding, has a high-pitched cry, arching of the body or very deep yellow colour
• Jaundice during pregnancy

Key point

Dark urine with pale stools suggests a blocked bile duct and needs urgent assessment.

Before your appointment

Note when the yellow colour began and the colour of your urine and stools. List all medicines, herbs, supplements and alcohol use. Mention fever, itching, abdominal pain, weight loss, recent travel, injections, transfusions, tattoos and contact with others with jaundice. For a baby, note birth date, feeding pattern, wet nappies and the mother's blood group. Ask about tests, the likely cause and which signs need urgent care. Call 112 for confusion, bleeding or severe pain with fever.