Jaundice In Newborns

Overview

Sometimes a newborn may have excessive yellow discolouration in the skin and eyes, this is called jaundice. It is a very common condition affecting 60% of newborns delivered within a full-term and it affects approximately 80% of babies born prematurely.

Causes

Babies have large amounts of red blood cells in their bloodstream which are to be broken down and processed multiple times. When the baby’s liver is underdeveloped it is unable to properly process bilirubin and remove it from the blood this causes jaundice.

The elevated presence of bilirubin in the blood
Underlying disease
Defective liver
Internal bleeding
Infection in bloodstream
Biliary atresia
Enzyme deficiency
Rapid breakdown of red blood cells

Symptoms

Within a few days of birth, symptoms start to appear. Presently it is estimated that the baby needs to be monitored 2- 4 days continuously to be safe.

Risk factor

In the common course, all the conditions together or one in the specific lead to a higher risk of Jaundice appearing in children.

Diagnosis

Most commonly discoloured skin and eyes are telltale signs of this condition but for solid confirmation, physicians prefer the following avenues.

Treatment

In the old days, Jaundice used to be treated with the parents keeping children in the sunlight but now in some cases, this is not enough.