How do babies have prolonged jaundice?

The article is consulted professionally by Master, Dr. Nguyen Thi An – Pediatrician – Newborn – Pediatrics – Infant – Share99 Ha Long International Health Hub.

Prolonged jaundice is a common pathology for premature babies born prematurely. To cope with this situation, parents should follow from simple daily routines such as: give their children proper sunbathing enough hours, keep their children warm …

1. Jaundice in newborns

Distinguishing jaundice and jaundice due to bi bicytal atrophy

Newborn jaundice is common in babies born short of work months

Newborn jaundice is common in babies born with a lack of months, making excess bilirubin conversion impossible, resulting in jaundice, the more excess bilirubin, the longer the jaundice process in the child. This is a common condition, especially in premature babies.

For newborns, red blood cells are always created new and lost, the loss takes place more or the rupture of the post-birth esthrium, when the red blood cells break will release hemoglobin, which will be converted into bilirubin. From here bilirubin will be converted in the young liver and eliminated through feces and urine.

However, because the liver of working babies is weak, this ineffective discharge of bilirubin causes an increase in bilirubin in the blood, causing jaundice in babies. According to the literature this is called bio-newborn jaundice.

1.1 Jaundice in newborns

The first manifestation of jaundice is yellowing in the skin and young eyes. Yellowing can begin within 2 to 4 days after birth and can begin on the front before spreading throughout the body. Bilirubin levels usually peak between 3 and 7 days after birth. When a finger is gently pressed against the child's skin, causing it to turn yellow, it may be a sign of jaundice.

Most cases of jaundice are normal, but sometimes jaundice may point to other diseases. Severe jaundice also increases the risk of bilirubin entering the brain, which can cause permanent brain damage.

1.2 Causes of jaundice in newborns

It is usually caused by the child's liver not being mature enough to remove bilirubin in the blood – a yellow pigment of the waste products when the red blood cells are destroyed. While in the womb, the mother's liver takes care of this process, but after birth the baby's body has to carry itself while the infant's body produces a large amount of blood cells and is degraded relatively quickly. This phenomenon is called jaundice.

1.3 Prolonged jaundice

In many cases, children with jaundice will gradually run out as their liver develops and when they start eating, help to release bilirubin from the body. In most cases, jaundice will disappear within 2 to 3 weeks after birth. Besides, there is still a phenomenon of pathology jaundice, which is cases of jaundice lasting more than three weeks or children with indirect bilirubin levels in the blood that are too high to exceed the psychological threshold called prolonged jaundice.

For children with high levels of bilirubin, they are at risk of deafness, cerebral palsy, or other forms of brain damage. Therefore, experts always recommend that all babies be checked for signs of jaundice (or at least 8 to 12 hours) before being discharged from the hospital and a few days after release from the hospital.

2. What is prolonged jaundice? How to quickly detect prolonged jaundice in a child

Babies with prolonged jaundice

Prolonged jaundice is a condition where babies have jaundice for more than 1 week

Prolonged jaundice is a condition in which babies have jaundice up to more than 1 week (although the baby is born full months) or more than 2-3 weeks (for premature babies before 37 weeks of gestation).

Experts say that prolonged jaundice is caused by increased bilirubin in the body, which leads to yellowish turn of the skin and sveum (in the eyes).

Thus, when the liver or bile path is inflamed or there are other abnormalities of liver cells and bile paths (including the gallbladder) cause the amount of bile pigment in the blood to increase causing skin, mucous membranes (including the eye conjunctiva) to stain the yellow color of bile pigment so they are yellow.

Children at high risk for prolonged jaundiceare:

  • Premature babies: Babies born prematurely before 37 weeks have a higher risk of jaundice, as the liver is not capable of handling bilirubin as quickly as babies born full months.
  • Babies with bruising duringchildbirth : During labor and natural childbirth or also cesarean section some babies have bruises on the body. Many studies show that if babies have bruises there is a high risk of high levels exceeding the normal threshold of bilirubin from the decomposition of red blood cells.
  • Blood type factor:Mothers with blood type O or blood type Rh also contain more likely babies born with jaundice earlier. Children with blood type are incompat compatibility with the mother's blood type, which can develop antibodies that can destroy red blood cells and cause a sudden increase in bilirubin levels.
  • Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding babies have a higher risk of jaundice. However, the benefits that breast milk brings far outsy of the disadvantages that jaundice can cause, so experts still recommend breastfeeding from the beginning.

Other causes of prolonged jaundice in babies include:

  • be infected
  • Lack of enzymes
  • Abnormalities in the red blood cells of the child.

How to quickly detect prolonged jaundice in a child:

  • Perform a quick check in a well-lit room, touching the baby's nose or forehead gently with her index finger. If the skin is still yellow at the fact that she has just released her finger, she should consult a doctor
  • If the baby has dark gray skin, try to check the yellow color in the whites of the eyes or in the gums. Mother can also notice that her baby consumes very pale stools.

3. Is prolonged jaundice dangerous?

Jaundice in premature babies is especially dangerous, progressing rapidly. If not detected or treated early, it will cause the child to become neuro-poisoned, fatal or severely displaced.

When the child shows signs of prolonged jaundice or his body has abnormal jaundice, he may have pale jaundice, dark yellow, yellow-brown … it is best to go for a medical examination to have to accurately assess the causes of jaundice. Since the resistance of babies is very poor, it is necessary to be protected and cared for more thoroughly. Do not let jaundice prolong or use tips and cures that lack basis not only do not heal but can interfere with the treatment process later.

3.1 Dangerous complications from prolonged jaundice

Babies with long-term jaundice may experience dangerous complications such as:

  • Severe cerebral palsy: If the mother detects that the child has jaundice there are other signs such as sleeping, not focusing, crying a lot, breastfeeding and high fever need to immediately think about the condition of emergency cerebral palsy. According to doctors, bilirubin is very toxic to the cells of the brain. Severe jaundice is capable of bilirubin entering the brain and causing many serious complications.
  • Jaundice: When bilirubin exceeds the permitted limit, the liver does not eliminate in time, then there is a risk of permeation into the brain i.e. the child has jaundice. This causes i can't recover brain damage. Therefore, if a pathology jaundice is identified, treatment must be taken before 7 days after birth to prevent the risk of brain damage.

3.2 When to see a doctor?

Parents should take the child to see a doctor as soon as they see the following symptoms:

  • Jaundice appears prematurely before the age of 24 hours
  • The degree of jaundice is more and more obvious, full-body gold
  • The rate of jaundice increases rapidly
  • Jaundice lasts up to more than 1 week (despite full month birth) or more than 2 weeks (with premature babies)
  • Jaundice is accompanied by any other abnormal signs such as: stool diarrhea with powdery eyebrows, vomiting, poor feeding, abdominal obstruction, apnea, rapid breathing, bradycardia, hypothermia, weight loss, cemia, hemorrhage, sleeping, stiffness, convulsions, coma …

4. How do babies have prolonged jaundice?

Babies with prolonged jaundice

Photo therapy is a popular and highly effective treatment

4.1. Prolonged jaundice treatment

Mild jaundice will usually cure itself when the young liver begins to mature. Regular feeding (from 8 to 12 times a day) will help the child to transmit bilirubin through the body.

The doctor can give the child a blood test to check the level of bilirubin. Heavier jaundice may require other treatments. Photo therapy is a popular and highly effective treatment, which uses light to break down bilirubin in the young body. There are two types of lighting treatments:

  • Regular lighting

Ultraviolet light when the child is in bed. Light helps to break down the bilirubin so as not to put damage pressure on the liver. The lights will stop every 3-4 hours for the mother to breastfeed.

  • Fiber Optic Treatment

The child is wrapped in a blanket containing special optical fibers, which shines light directly on the child's skin. You can still carry and breastfeed your baby as usual.

Note:

In very serious cases, an exchange of blood transfusions may be necessary. The child will receive a small amount of blood from the donor or blood bank, helping to replace the damaged blood with healthy red blood cells. This also increases the number of red blood cells of the child and reduces bilirubin levels.

4.2. Caring for children with prolonged jaundice

  • Ensure your baby is nutritious through breast milk
  • If the mother breastfeeds, itis recommended to breastfeed the baby regularly. This helps to brighten young skin. No need to use formula or filtered water instead. Mother should wake her baby up to breastfeed even when she is asleep
  • If the mother is unable to breastfeed because there is no timely milk, it is possible to choose a formula for breastfeeding. Advise your doctor if you are concerned about your baby taking too little or too much formula
  • Mother should keep the baby warm daily. At the same time, mothers should pay attention to the care of the navel, body hygiene for the child
  • Mother should be aware of proper sunbathing, enough time for the child in the early morning and afternoon, when the soft sunlight is very good for jaundice pathology. Sunbathing cannot be cured but will be the cause of prolonged jaundice and bad progress.

To ensure the accuracy of the health status of the newborn as well as to know if the child has jaundice, the mother should register the child for screening for premature babies. Because prolonged jaundice can lead to dangerous complications. The consequences of the failure to detect and treat jaundice in time will lead to jaundice and the evidence left can be lifelong cerebral palsy, even death.

Pediatrics Department – Share99 International Health Hub is the address to receive and examine the diseases that babies, including jaundice. At Share99 is equipped with a safe, easy-to-implement lighting system, babies are still breastfed when they have to shine lights, can combine glucose transmission 10%. There are many types of lamps suitable for each yellow subject toshine: Slave lights (children are located directly on top, double lamps shining on the bottom (used in cases where positive lights are required), blanket lamps, bags wrapped around the child (very convenient for mothers when caring for babies: both pick up to breastfeed, shine lights).

If treating a child with severe jaundice when the lamp is ineffective or the child has severe jaundice until late, with too high levels of bilirubin in the blood, the doctor will prescribe the use of blood replacement as a last remedy. When we change blood, we can quickly obtain the bilirubin that is circulating in the vessel, leading to a decrease in bilirubin in the blood and thereby also reducing bilirubin outside the organization.

Master. physician. Nguyen Thi An nguyen is the Head of Pediatrics Department, Quang Ninh General Health Hub, who is very passionate about health care for children and successfully treats many difficult cases. Currently, he is a Pediatrician – Newborn – Newborn Department of Share99 Ha Long International Health Hub.

For direct advice, please click hotline number or register online HERE. In addition, you can register for remote consultation HERE

SEE MORE:

  • Does 5-week-old baby still have jaundice?
  • What is jaundice?
  • Distinguishing bio-newborn jaundice and pathology jaundice

SEE MORE:

  • Distinguishing bio-newborn jaundice and pathology jaundice
  • Are 3-week-olds still jaundice in their eyes, hands, and abdomen?
  • Symptoms of chickenpox in babies

About: John Smith

b1ffdb54307529964874ff53a5c5de33?s=90&r=gI am the author of Share99.net. I had been working in Vinmec International General Hospital for over 10 years. I dedicate my passion on every post in this site.

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