Jaundice is a common medical condition that affects approximately 60 percent of infants within the first week following delivery, explains the National Health Service. This condition is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin, a yellow digestive fluid, within a baby's blood. Infants with jaundice develop unusually yellowed-colored skin or eyes--symptoms that typically resolve without treatment within two weeks of symptom onset. In certain cases, the level of bilirubin in an infant's blood can remain persistently high. Without treatment, babies with this condition can develop severe complications of jaundice.
Deafness
Infants with unusually high levels of bilirubin in their blood can experience hearing loss as a complication of jaundice, warns MedlinePlus, a medical information website established by the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Hearing loss or deafness due to jaundice can be permanent and can lead to language development difficulties in affected infants.
Cerebral Palsy
Excessively high bilirubin levels in a baby's blood can damage healthy brain and nerve cells. If this occurs, babies can develop cerebral palsy as a complication of jaundice. Cerebral palsy is a condition that can affect an infant's ability to move, hear, think, see and learn. Symptoms associated with cerebral palsy include muscle tightness, unusual walking pattern or gait, speech problems, seizures, learning disabilities, poor coordination and delayed growth, explains MedlinePlus.
Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy
If bilirubin levels in the blood are unusually high, this substance can infiltrate the blood-brain barrier and pass into the brain. When this occurs, infants can develop significant brain damage--a jaundice complication referred to as acute bilirubin encephalopathy, explains UpToDate, a peer-reviewed medical information website for patients. Symptoms associated with acute bilirubin encephalopathy include high-pitched crying, fever, poor feeding and unusual backwards arching of the body or neck. These signs of brain damage can be reversed in babies with acute bilirubin encephalopathy if appropriate treatment is received immediately.
Kernicterus
In the absence of prompt or adequate treatment, acute bilirubin encephalopathy can progress to a severe, permanent condition called kernicterus. Kernicterus is a complication of jaundice characterized by permanent, irreversible brain damage. Infants with this condition can develop hearing loss, intellectual deficits, involuntary body movements or a permanent upward gaze, warns MayoClinic.com. This rare complication of jaundice can be devastating to parents or caregivers of an affected infant. To prevent this jaundice complication, newborn infants should be closely monitored by a doctor, as well as parents and caregivers, for signs of jaundice during their first few weeks of life.
References
- UpToDate: Jaundice in Newborn Infants - Jaundice Complications
- NHS: Jaundice, Newborn - Introduction
- MedlinePlus: Newborn Jaundice - Possible Complications
- American Academy of Family Physicians: Hyperbilirubinemia in the Term Newborn - Bilirubin Toxicity
- MayoClinic.com: Infant Jaundice - Complications
