Medline Plus defines infant jaundice as a condition marked by high blood levels of bilirubin that cause the skin and whites of the eyes to look yellow. Bilirubin, created by the body when recycling old red blood cells, is a yellow-colored substance processed by the liver and then excreted in the stool. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, "approximately 60 percent of full-term infants develop jaundice within several days of birth." Complications are rare; however severe jaundice can lead to brain damage if left untreated.
Causes
In pregnancy, the mother's body handles the processing of the baby's bilirubin until birth, at which time the baby's liver takes over. Because the baby's liver is immature, excretion of bilirubin may be delayed. When jaundice appears in infants, usually between 2 to 7 days after birth, it generally resolves in 1 to 2 weeks. This is called physiological jaundice and causes no harm to the baby. Other underlying conditions, however, may cause jaundice and lead to serious complications, reports Medline Plus.
Underlying Conditions
Abnormally high levels of bilirubin can be present if the number of red blood cells that need to be recycled is increased or if the process of removing bilirubin is disrupted. Associated conditions include, but are not limited to: poorly nursing breastfed babies, abnormal blood cell shapes, blood type incompatibility, birth injuries, various enzyme deficiencies, infection, prematurity, transfusions, medications, congenital herpes, congenital hypothyroidism, congenital rubella, congenital syphilis and neonatal hepatitis.
Complications
If left untreated, jaundice can lead to permanent brain damage. Extremely high levels of bilirubin are toxic to the brain and can cause acute bilirubin encephalopathy. According to the Mayo Clinic, symptoms of this condition include listlessness, high-pitched crying, poor sucking or feeding skills and backward arching of the neck and body. If not treated quickly, significant permanent damage may occur, leading to kernicterus. Kernicterus is characterized by uncontrolled movements of the body, hearing loss and intellectual impairment.
Treatment
For babies with severe jaundice, various treatments are available to lower bilirubin levels. Light therapy, also known as phototherapy, is a technique in which a baby is placed under special lighting. The light is absorbed by the baby's skin and blood, transforming the bilirubin into lumirubin, which is easily processed by the baby's body, reports the University of Michigan's C. S. Mott Children's Hospital. For babies with blood types that are different from the mother's, intravenous transfusions of immunoglobulin are needed. These immunoglobulins contain blood proteins that can help to reduce the mother's antibodies in the baby's body. If the baby does not respond to other treatments, an exchange blood transfusion may be necessary. This rare procedure entails withdrawing blood from the baby and diluting the bilirubin and mother's antibodies before transferring the blood back into the baby.
Prevention
For the majority of babies, jaundice is normal and cannot be prevented. Monitoring babies carefully for the first 5 days, identifying those at high risk and feeding babies at least 8 to 12 times a day for the first several days can reduce the risk of severe jaundice. Additionally, pregnant women should have their blood type and antibodies tested.
