Diarrhea is a relatively common occurrence in an infant. However, when this condition occurs in conjunction with jaundice, a yellowing of the skin, organ failure could possibly occur. Several conditions and diseases may be responsible for these symptoms, including liver and kidney failure, and viral, bacterial and protozoic infections. Consult a physician immediately, if an infant displays yellowing of the skin or if diarrhea persists more than one day.
Jaundice and Kidney Damage
Bilirubin is a yellow-colored byproduct of the breakdown of hemoglobin, the oxygen-carrying molecule in red blood cells, that can cause unexplained jaundice and kidney damage in infants. An article in the February 2009 issue of the “World Journal of Pediatrics” investigated the correlation between urinary tract infections and the occurrence of increased bilirubin levels and the onset of jaundice and kidney failure. The researchers studied 462 full-term newborns, with or without fever, vomiting, diarrhea and lethargy. Of these, 30 were found to have urinary tract infections with increased bilirubin levels. The article concluded that the incidence of urinary tract infections in infants presenting with jaundice is relatively high.
Leishmaniasis
Leishmaniasis is a tropical disease caused by a protozoan parasite transmitted through the bite of an infected female sand fly and characterized by jaundice, diarrhea, swelling and severe anemia, among symptoms. A 2010 study from the Tropical Disease Institute in Teresina, Brazil identified main risk factors for the disease through the evaluation of 396 patients diagnosed with leishmaniasis, 76 of whom had died. The researchers found that secondary bacterial infections, and liver and kidney damage were the main complications of the disease among surviving patients. The authors concluded that leishmaniasis is a slowly developing systemic inflammatory syndrome leading to paralysis, organ failure and death, if not promptly treated.
Amebiasis
Amebiasis is a gastrointestinal infection caused by the consumption of water polluted by an amoeba, a single-celled water-born pathogen, which can remain dormant for several years. A study published in the December 2006 issue of “Tropical Biomedicine” documented 34 cases reported from the Malaya Medical Center in Malaysia. Researchers stated that the disease affects males more often than females and is characterized by fever, diarrhea, abdominal pain and jaundice in individuals traveling or residing in tropical areas. The disease responds well to treatment, as all but one of the Malaysian cases were eventually discharged from the hospital. The Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia estimate that up to 50 million cases of amebiasis occur yearly world-wide resulting in approximately 100,000 deaths, where infants and the elderly account for the majority.
Cytomegalovirus Infection
Cytomegalovirus, or CMV, is a type of herpes that is the most common viral infection in fetuses. Infants born with this infection suffer from cough, diarrhea, jaundice and hemorrhage. A study in the November 2008 issue of the “Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease” described the clinical features and epidemiology of CMV infection in Chinese infants. The study found that the median age of CMV infection was four months and the disease infected males twice as often as females. The authors recommended a combination therapy of immunoglobulin, corticoid and gancyclovir.
References
- “Scandinavian Journal of Infectious Disease”; Cytomegalovirus-Associated Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura in Chinese Children; Y. Sheng, et al.; November 2008
- “World Journal of Pediatrics”; Bilirubin Levels Predict Renal Cortical Changes in Jaundiced Neonates with Urinary Tract Infection; I. Xinias, et al.; February 2009
- “Tropical Biomedicine”; A Ten Year (1999-2008) Retrospective Study of Amoebiasis in University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; F. Farhana, et al.; December 2006
- “Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical”; Is Severe Visceral Leishmaniasis a Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome? A Case Control Study; C. Costa, et al.; July 2010
