Infant jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood where the whites of the eye and skin turn yellow. When all is functioning properly, bilirubin, a byproduct of old red blood cells, is processed by the liver, excreted in bile and ultimately transformed into waste. When the liver cannot handle the volume of retiring red blood cells, yellow pigment will build up in the body. Infant jaundice is highly treatable and usually resolves itself within a matter of weeks. Failure to quickly diagnose and treat infant jaundice, however, can lead to an increased risk of several irreversible conditions.
Cerebral Palsy
High bilirubin levels can lead to permanent brain damage that can ultimately cause athetoid cerebral palsy. According to Marchofdimes.org, athetoid cerebral palsy affects body movements and muscle coordination across the entire body. Children have trouble learning to control their bodies, and have difficulty sitting and walking. Athetoid cerebral palsy also affect the face and tongue muscles, causing problems related to sucking, swallowing and speech.
Deafness
Untreated jaundice can increase an infant's chances of developing a type of deafness known as auditory neuropathy, according to the website Raisingdeafkids.org. With auditory neuropathy, the cochlea appears to be in good working order but the auditory nerve does not respond appropriately. Children with this type of deafness experience intermittent hearing, which can range from mild to profound. Diagnosing auditory neuropathy can be tricky, since these children can sometimes hear when it is quiet and can even pass certain types of hearing tests, but often have difficulty hearing when there is background noise.
Kernicterus
Excessive jaundice can lead to a form of brain damage known as kernicterus, which Kernicterus.org describes as occuring when the "bilirubin is so high that it can move out of the blood into brain tissue." Infants with kernicterus have been shown on an MRI scan to have damage to the lobus pallidus portion of the brain and lesions on the brain stem nuclei that impact hearing, eye movement, balance and coordination. Symptoms of kernicterus include extreme lethargy, a high-pitched cry and decreased muscle tone together with episodes of increased muscle tone and arching of the head and back backward. When kernicterus progresses, infants will often develop a fever.
