icteric

/ik'terik/

Thân thiện

The newborn's icteric skin required phototherapy.

Definition

1. Adjective:
   • Affected by jaundice: Describes a person, animal, or condition characterized by jaundice, a medical state that causes yellowing of the skin, eyes, and mucous membranes due to excess bilirubin in the blood.
   • Relating to or symptomatic of jaundice: Pertaining to the symptoms or the nature of jaundice.

Usage

• The word icteric is a technical medical term. It is primarily used in clinical, diagnostic, or scientific contexts to describe patients, symptoms, or findings associated with jaundice.
• It functions as a descriptive adjective, typically placed before a noun (e.g., ) or after a linking verb (e.g., ).

Examples

• The physician noted the patient's icteric sclera and skin, indicating possible liver dysfunction.
• Laboratory tests confirmed the icteric condition was due to biliary obstruction.
• Newborns with severe hyperbilirubinemia can appear markedly icteric.

Advanced Usage

• Icteric index: A historical or qualitative measure of the level of bilirubin in the blood serum, assessed by comparing its color to a standard.
• Pre-icteric phase: Refers to the stage of an illness before the visible onset of jaundice (yellowing) appears.

Variants and Related Words

• Icterus (noun): The medical term for jaundice itself.
• Icteric can be used interchangeably with the less common variant icterical, though icteric is standard.
• Subicteric (adjective): Denoting a mild or slight degree of jaundice.

Synonyms

• Jaundiced: The most common synonym in both medical and general contexts.
• Yellowed: A non-technical descriptive term for the visual symptom.

Antonyms

• Anicteric (adjective): Not affected by jaundice; lacking yellow pigmentation from bilirubin.

Notes

• While icteric and jaundiced are synonyms, icteric is more formal and specific to medical terminology. In everyday language, "jaundiced" is more frequently used, even in a figurative sense (e.g., meaning a cynical or prejudiced outlook). The figurative use is not standard for icteric.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. affected by jaundice which causes yellowing of skin etc

Từ đồng nghĩa

• jaundiced
• yellow