icteric

Meaning

1. 1adjectivenot comparablemedical

   Showing the yellow tint of skin or eyes that comes from jaundice, or connected with that condition.

   Grammar: Usually placed before a noun: an icteric patient, but it can follow 'be' in case notes.

   Patterns

   • icteric sclera
   • icteric patient

   The nurse noted that the newborn's eyes looked slightly icteric.

   An icteric tint in the sclera often prompts doctors to order liver tests.

   Her blood sample was so icteric that the lab had trouble reading it.

Common combinations

icteric sclera

The doctor pointed out the icteric sclera when she examined him.

icteric skin

Icteric skin can be hard to spot under dim hospital lights.

icteric serum

The technician flagged the icteric serum before running the test.

mildly icteric

The patient was mildly icteric but otherwise comfortable.

icteric hepatitis

Icteric hepatitis causes visible yellowing, unlike milder forms.

Synonyms and how they differ

jaundiced

Jaundiced is the ordinary word for yellowish skin and is understood by everyone, whereas icteric sounds like a chart entry.

yellowed

Yellowed describes any yellow color, including old paper, so it does not point to a liver or blood cause the way icteric does.

bilious

Bilious is an older word linked to bile and now mostly means bad-tempered, so it is not a clinical match for icteric.

Opposites

Word family

icterus noun

the medical name for jaundice

anicteric adjective

showing no yellowing, as in 'anicteric sclera'

hepatic adjective

relating to the liver, often the source of icteric signs

Commonly confused: icteric or ictal?

Practice

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