And here is the give away: The lecture also provided the clear evidence from multiple studies that infants breastfed under the guidance provided by the WHO Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative do not have excessive jaundice and are not at risk
of kernicterus unless they have a pathologic condition which either increases serum bilirubin levels or RENDERS THE INFANT UNABLE TO FEED ADEQUATELY.
A very small percentage of jaundiced newborns develop a condition
called kernicterus, which can result in deafness, delayed development, or a form of cerebral palsy.
Be aware that jaundice, if untreated, can develop into
kernicterus in your newborn baby.
The problem with jaundice is that if you let bilirubin levels get too high without managing them, the baby can get severe, irreversible brain damage from a condition known
as kernicterus.
The treatments
for kernicterus are the same as listed for jaundice (above).
The good news is that today's healthcare protocols often
make kernicterus preventable.
There are no studies to suggest that the mildly increased levels of bili has any negative impact on neonatal health (
ie kernicterus, severe jaundice).
It's only when the bilirubin level stays too high and isn't treated that jaundice
becomes kernicterus and causes brain damage.
Todd & Weld has developed a specialty in handling cases on a national level for children who have
suffered kernicterus, a form of brain damage caused by excessive jaundice (hyperbilirubinemia) following birth.
The goal of treatment is to lower the bilirubin level to prevent the buildup of toxic levels in the baby's brain (a disease
called kernicterus).
In cases
of kernicterus, symptoms include fever, lethargy, a high - pitched abnormal - sounding cry, and poor muscle tone.
Jaundice, left untreated, can cause brain damage known
as kernicterus.
If your baby seems weak or «floppy», followed sometimes by rigidity and arching of the back, it may indicate that
kernicterus is starting to occur.
I had never heard of this, but according to WebMD,
kernicterus «is a very rare type of brain damage that occurs in a newborn with severe jaundice.»
Consider, too, that breastfeeding is now the leading cause of
kernicterus (jaundice induced brain damage) responsible for 90 % of the cases of this serious complication that often results in long term disability or even death.
Because jaundice is easy to test and to treat,
kernicterus is very rare in the modern world.
«Cephalohematoma or significant bruising» is a «major risk factor» for hyperbilirubinemia and
kernicterus» — AAP 2004.
Most cases of jaundice don't require treatment, but if it goes on too long, complications can occur and it can lead to
kernicterus.
Facts about jaundice and
kernicterus.
With monitoring and treatment, the risk of
kernicterus or other complications drops to almost none.
Those at the lecture that accompanied these slides heard me make the point that inadequate caloric intake during the newborn period contributes to the risk of developing
kernicterus, but is rarely the sole cause of excessive hyperbilirubinemia and kernicterus.
, called
kernicterus, 90 % of which occurs to breastfed babies who lose excessive weight, according to his lecture.
The accompanying comment by the website editors implies that starvation jaundice is responsible for 90 % of all cases of
kernicterus.
If bilirubin levels become extremely high, complications such as brain damage (
kernicterus), cerebral palsy, and deafness can occur.
In rare cases, levels of bilirubin can become dangerously high and lead to a complication called
kernicterus.
The leading cause of jaundice induced brain damage (
kernicterus) is breastfeeding and breastfeeding doubles the risk of neonatal hospital admission leading to literally tens of thousands of hospital admissions per year.
Jaundice and
kernicterus.
For example, the FDA recently approved new labeling information for trimethoprim / sulfamethoxazole (Septra ®), emphasizing the need for caution in administering this drug to nursing women, particularly if the infant is jaundiced, ill, stressed, or premature, because of the potential risk for bilirubin displacement and
kernicterus.
A bilirubin level of more than 425 μmol / L was chosen to define severe hyperbilirubinemia since an infant with this degree of jaundice is thought to be at high risk of
kernicterus.6 Furthermore, the Canadian Paediatric Society recommends considering an exchange transfusion at this level in healthy term infants without risk factors.20
The condition, formally called hyperbilirubinemia, can lead to a dangerous brain disorder called
kernicterus.
If left untreated, severe jaundice can cause brain damage and a potentially fatal condition called
kernicterus.
In addition to losing her husband to a delayed cancer diagnosis, her son, Cal, now 13, was the victim of lack of treatment for too - high bilirubin levels as a newborn, which resulted in
kernicterus, or brain damage from severe jaundice.
If left untreated for too long, jaundice can spread from the bloodstream to the brain, causing a form of brain damage called
kernicterus.
We have a record of accomplishment in handling
kernicterus cases, including winning one of Massachusetts» largest kernicterus medical malpractice jury awards.
The negligent failure to diagnose and treat severe jaundice, for instance, may lead to
kernicterus, a condition that can, in turn, lead to CP.
From the Center for Disease Control: «What is
kernicterus?
What are some warning signs of
kernicterus?