Newborn Jaundice
What is the cause of newborn jaundice?
by the Babble Staff
October 30, 2006
Newborn Jaundice
THE BABBLE TAKE
Jaundice, yellow discoloration of the skin and eyes, affects many newborns two or three days after birth. Experts say the condition is not a disease in and of itself. In healthy-sized full-term newborns it's usually fairly harmless. Doctors say babies are born with an excess of red blood cells. As these old blood cells are broken down, they're transformed into a substance called bilirubin. (Dr. Greene explains that this is the same substance you see when an old bruise turns yellow). Often the newborn's liver is too unformed to properly process the large amounts of bilirubin in her system and she becomes yellow, or jaundiced. Doctors cite the risk factors for this type of common, usually harmless, jaundice as being premature birth, bruising during birth, mother and baby having different blood types and breastfeeding. This type of jaundice should disappear on its own at about two weeks. Jaundice that develops earlier, or later, may have other causes and may be less benign. Doctors tend to monitor jaundice in infants carefully, just in case. If a baby is extremely yellow, or if she seems weak, this may be cause for worry. In some cases babies are given treatments to make sure the level of bilirubin in their blood doesn't get too high.
JOIN THE DISCUSSION IN OUR MESSAGE BOARD
-
Mayo Clinic
"Infant jaundice itself isn't a disease. In most cases it occurs because your baby's liver isn't mature enough to metabolize a molecule called bilirubin, which normally forms when the body recycles old or damaged red blood cells. Infant jaundice usually isn't a cause for alarm. It doesn't cause discomfort for your baby, and it usually disappears on its own in one to two weeks."
...read the full article
-
Dr. Greene
"Jaundice is a yellow color observed in the skin or in the eyes. The yellow pigment is a byproduct of old red blood cells that is called bilirubin. [. . .] Jaundice is common in new babies and is usually not a problem. Nevertheless, jaundice can be a sign of a serious disease and occasionally jaundice can cause lasting nerve damage. Parents need to know when to worry and when to relax."
...read the full article
-
National Institute of Health
"At birth, a baby's liver is still developing its ability to process bilirubin. Therefore, bilirubin levels are a little high at birth and jaundice is present to some degree in almost all newborns. This form of jaundice usually appears between day 2 and 5 and clears by 2 weeks. It usually causes no problems."
...read the full article
-
Kids Health
"A common condition in newborns, jaundice refers to the yellow color of the skin and whites of the eyes caused by excess bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is produced by the normal breakdown of red blood cells."
...read the full article
-
Dr. Cohen
"Jaundice, the condition of having yellowish skin, is not a rare occurrence in newborns. In fact, it's common, so common that most of the alarm it causes doctors and parents of jaundiced babies is unwarranted . . . Practically speaking, I'd say that at least a third of all newborn exhibit some kind of yellow tinge. Mild jaundice tends to appear on the second day, peaks around the fifth day, and then slowly decreases over time. It may still be detectable around week six."
JOIN THE DISCUSSION IN OUR MESSAGE BOARD
BACK TO ALL TOPICS
