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Medical Definition of Icterus index
1. The value that indicates the relative level of bilirubin in serum or plasma; calculated by comparing (in a colourimeter) the intensity of the colour of the specimen with that of a standard solution (potassium dichromate, 0.05 g, in 500 ml of water, plus 0.2 ml of sulfuric acid); the normal range is 3 to 5, and values greater than 15 are usually associated with clinically apparent jaundice; an index less than 3 is observed in various examples of secondary anaemia, aplastic anaemia, and chlorosis. Sometimes erroneously called icteric index: it is an index of jaundice, not a jaundiced index. (05 Mar 2000)