Neonatal jaundice occurs in about 84 % of newborns and is characterized as high
levels of bilirubin in the blood.
Jaundice usually happens because your little one's liver isn't mature enough to get
rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream.
It appears as a yellowing of the skin and eyes and is caused by an
excess of bilirubin, a yellow pigment that is a product in the blood.
One of the first signs of jaundice is a yellowing that begins on the face and moves down the body as the level
of bilirubin builds in the baby's bloodstream.
A build
up of bilirubin causes jaundice (yellow) in babies which can in turn lead to other health problems.
This is why pediatricians take blood to measure baby's level
of bilirubin before baby goes home for the first time and during the first post-discharge appointment.
This discoloration is the result of excessive bilirubin in the bloodstream, which can be the result of either backed up liver circulation due to disease, or as the result of excessive
accumulation of bilirubin due to the destruction of red blood cells caused by a disruption in red blood cell metabolism, a defective immune system, or both.
The fetal red blood cells have a shorter life span, so there is more
production of bilirubin in your baby as compared to yourself.
Jaundice occurs as a
result of bilirubin building up in your baby's bloodstream faster than they can break it down and poop it out.
Jaundice typically occurs because newborns normally produce increased levels
of bilirubin which is referred to as «physiologic jaundice.»
A newborn baby's liver is not mature enough to get rid
of this bilirubin so it builds up in the baby's body and causes the skin and the whites of the eyes to turn yellow.
Severe jaundice is treated using phototherapy to modify the yellow pigment in the skin, and therefore, allow better
removal of the bilirubin by the baby.
For high levels of jaundice, phototherapy — treatment with a special light that helps rid the
body of the bilirubin — may be used.
Peony root has hepatoprotective effects, which can lower levels
of bilirubin when there are toxic substances in the liver.
(See a sample diaper below) The color is caused by urate crystals, a
byproduct of bilirubin and completely normal.
Increased feedings and the
use of the bilirubin lights should effectively lower the bilirubin levels.
If your baby has low levels
of bilirubin treatment is usually just expectant management, or watching your baby.
While the jaundice caused by this form of jaundice can last longer, it does not tend to have high fluctuations in the levels
of bilirubin found in your baby.
Much of this bilirubin leaves the body in the baby's stool, but about half of babies develop some degree of jaundice during the first two weeks of life.
Supplementation with breast milk substitutes when mom's own breast milk is not enough is in fact an important part of the treatment regimen of a hyperbilirubinemic newborn as enteric excretion is the primary
mode of bilirubin elimination.
This should be monitored and if the levels
of bilirubin do happen to become too high, they may need a treatment called phototherapy.
Jaundice, or the yellowing of the skin, can happen when an excess amount
of bilirubin collects in the blood.
A parent or health care provider can get an accurate
picture of bilirubin to bridge the gap after leaving the hospital.»
Jaundice is a
backup of bilirubin because the liver isn't working properly, giving the skin, eyes, and gums a yellow color.
More advanced cases can manifest as icterus or yellow color imparted to the whites of the eyes (sclera), the skin and the mucous membranes due to
deposition of bilirubin in these areas.
Jaundice is due to a buildup in the
blood of bilirubin, a yellow pigment that comes from the breakdown of old red blood cells.
In a dog with autoimmune hemolytic anemia, the liver simply can not keep up with processing the
amount of bilirubin caused by destruction of RBCs.
There is no known cause for this type of jaundice, although speculation is that it may be linked to a substance in the breast milk that is blocking the
breakdown of bilirubin.
Crigler - Najjar Syndrome is a rare genetic liver disease (incidence around 1/1 000 000 births) associated with the abnormal
accumulation of bilirubin — a yellow pigment produced by the liver — in all the body's tissues, particularly the brain tissues.
A fairly common condition, this is due to an
excess of bilirubin (a yellow - colored pigment of red blood cells) in your baby's blood.
Phrases with «of bilirubin»