Editing Jaundice (section)

==Epidemiology==
Jaundice in adults is rare.<ref>{{cite book| vauthors = Ahmad J, Friedman SL, Dancygier H |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4uLAAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT60|title=Mount Sinai Expert Guides: Hepatology|date=2014|publisher=John Wiley & Sons|isbn=978-1-118-74252-5|language=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170908204555/https://books.google.com/books?id=4uLAAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT60|archive-date=2017-09-08|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Björnsson E, Gustafsson J, Borkman J, Kilander A | title = Fate of patients with obstructive jaundice | journal = Journal of Hospital Medicine | volume = 3 | issue = 2 | pages = 117–123 | date = March 2008 | pmid = 18438808 | doi = 10.1002/jhm.272 }}</ref><ref name="Bansal_2006">{{cite journal | vauthors = Bansal V, Schuchert VD | title = Jaundice in the intensive care unit | journal = The Surgical Clinics of North America | volume = 86 | issue = 6 | pages = 1495–1502 | date = December 2006 | pmid = 17116459 | doi = 10.1016/j.suc.2006.09.007 }}</ref> Under the five year DISCOVERY programme in the UK, annual incidence of jaundice was 0.74 per 1000 individuals over age 45, although this rate may be slightly inflated due to the main goal of the programme collecting and analyzing cancer data in the population.<ref>{{cite journal | vauthors = Taylor A, Stapley S, Hamilton W | title = Jaundice in primary care: a cohort study of adults aged >45 years using electronic medical records | journal = Family Practice | volume = 29 | issue = 4 | pages = 416–420 | date = August 2012 | pmid = 22247287 | doi = 10.1093/fampra/cmr118 | doi-access = free }}</ref> Jaundice is commonly associated with severity of disease with an incidence of up to 40% of patients requiring intensive care in ICU experiencing jaundice.<ref name="Bansal_2006" /> The causes of jaundice in the intensive care setting is both due to jaundice as the primary reason for ICU stay or as a morbidity to an underlying disease (i.e. sepsis).<ref name="Bansal_2006" />

In the developed world, the most common causes of jaundice are blockage of the bile duct or medication-induced. In the developing world, the most common cause of jaundice is infectious such as [[viral hepatitis]], [[leptospirosis]], [[schistosomiasis]], or [[malaria]].<ref name="Rog2004" />

=== Risk factors ===
Risk factors associated with high serum bilirubin levels include male gender, white ethnicities, and active smoking.<ref name="Zucker 827–835">{{cite journal | vauthors = Zucker SD, Horn PS, Sherman KE | title = Serum bilirubin levels in the U.S. population: gender effect and inverse correlation with colorectal cancer | journal = Hepatology | volume = 40 | issue = 4 | pages = 827–835 | date = October 2004 | pmid = 15382174 | doi = 10.1002/hep.1840400412 | doi-access =  }}</ref> Mean serum total bilirubin levels in adults were found to be higher in men (0.72 ± 0.004&nbsp;mg/dl) than women (0.52 ± 0.003&nbsp;mg/dl).<ref name="Zucker 827–835" /> Higher bilirubin levels in adults are found also in non-Hispanic white population (0.63 ± 0.004&nbsp;mg/dl) and Mexican American population (0.61 ± 0.005&nbsp;mg/dl) while lower in non-Hispanic black population (0.55 ± 0.005&nbsp;mg/dl).<ref name="Zucker 827–835" /> Bilirubin levels are higher in active smokers.<ref name="Zucker 827–835" />