What is the difference between Jaundice and Icterus?

Jaundice and icterus are considered to be the same. They just come from two different words. “Icterus” comes from the Greek word “ikteros.” This roughly translates to “yellow disease.” Jaundice, on the other hand, comes from a French word, “jaunisse.” This also translates to yellow disease. If in case you are not familiar with Jaundice and Icterus, these are words that are meant to describe the accumulation of yellow pigment.

This can be found in the tissues and also the blood. The main difference between the two is that icterus will usually appear in the inner tissues first. If the pigmentation already becomes too deep and too many, that is the time when jaundice will start to take place. This means that it becomes obvious on the outer skin.

Over the course of life, there are a number of different medical conditions that a person may experience. Two of those that a person may have to deal with are jaundice and icterus. Jaundice is a heart issue. It can be categorized as an issue of the heart that is like a sickness or a disease.

The word jaundice means yellow and it can cause a person's appearance such as their eyes, to turn yellow. Iceterus is also this type of condition. Many people refer as icetrus as the yellow jaudice.

Though they are not harmful, they can often be prevented by consuming less of certain foods, such as squash, carrots, and sweet potatoes.

Jaundice is a very common health challenge, which is usually considered a disease, even sickness or an illness. Popular rumor has it that icterus is just as similar. To properly define and explain what jaundice and icterus are, we shall pose the most important question, ‘Are jaundice and icterus one and the same?’ Yes, jaundice and icterus essentially the same thing.

Another terminology for Jaundice is ‘icterus,’ which is obtained from the Greek word ‘icteric.’ Icteric is a term that explains the yellow pigment of the skin, the yellowing of the whites of the eyes, and other mucous membranes in the body.

Jaundice is known to be obtained from the French term ‘Jaune,’ which goes "yellow" by meaning. The symptoms of jaundice or icterus include discoloration on the whites of the eyes and the skin. The whites of the eyes that turn yellow are the first tissues that change color because of the increase of bilirubin levels.

Jaundice happens to be a common heart issue that can be considered a disease, illness, or sickness sometimes. Icterus occurs exactly like this too. On several occasions has icterus been described as jaundice also. Icterus is actually derived from the Greek word "icteric," which denotes the occurrence whereby the white part of the eyes is yellow. It also describes the yellow pigmentation of the skin and other mucous membranes in the body. For the term jaundice; it was derived from the French word "Jaune", which simply means yellow. This discoloration to yellow is caused by what is called "carotenemia", and it is not generally a harmful condition. And I once learned that this could be caused due to massive consumption of foods that are rich in carotene, carrots, sweet potatoes, squash, and others.

Both jaundice and icterus are characterized by similar features on the outside, but they are caused by different things. What actually causes jaundice is the accumulation of non-conjugated bilirubin, and it needs medical attention.

People may not immediately know this, but icterus is known as yellow jaundice. When a person has an accumulation of the yellow pigment in the tissues and blood, this will make the person or any human being who is experiencing this to also become yellow. There are instances when only some parts of the body are yellow.

For example, only the whites of the eyes are yellow or some portions of the skin. Jaundice and Icterus are considered to be the same. Some people just call someone who is a bit yellowish as “icteric.” The origin of Icterus is actually from the word “Icteric,” which is a Greek word.