What are the dangers of high jaundice in children?

Jaundice in children refers to the phenomenon of jaundice within one month of birth. This is mainly due to abnormal bilirubin metabolism in the human body, which leads to excessive bilirubin in the blood. It is a very common clinical problem in newborns. Almost all newborns have jaundice. Jaundice requires frequent observation, frequent water feeding, frequent sun exposure, frequent feeding, and adequate sleep. There is a little bit of yellowness, which will gradually fade away. However, high jaundice has certain harmful effects, mainly in the following aspects.

1. Main reasons

The jaundice caused by excessive bilirubin production, immature liver function and enterohepatic circulation in newborns, which leads to increased bilirubin concentration, is clinically called physiological jaundice. Physiological jaundice of full-term infants appears on the 2nd to 3rd day. At this time, the skin is light yellow, the sclera (white of the eye) is mainly blue with a slight yellow tint, the urine is slightly yellow, and the general condition is good. It reaches its peak on the 4th to 5th day and disappears in the 1st to 2nd week. Liver function examination is normal and serum unconjugated bilirubin is increased. Physiological jaundice in premature infants will appear earlier, be higher, and last longer, but it usually disappears within four weeks after birth.

2. Causes of pathological jaundice

It is caused by hemolysis, severe infection, neonatal hepatitis, biliary atresia and metabolic diseases. Regardless of the cause, jaundice can cause "kernicterus" in severe cases, which has a poor prognosis. In addition to causing damage to the nervous system, severe cases can even cause death.

3. Main hazards

Mild jaundice in early neonates will not have serious consequences, but severe jaundice in early neonates can cause bilirubin encephalopathy (kernicterus). Kernicterus is not only life-threatening, but survivors may suffer lifelong disability due to damage to the nervous system. Multicenter studies in recent years have shown that moderate and severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia can cause hearing damage and abnormal brainstem auditory evoked potentials. Therefore, dynamic monitoring of bilirubin levels and brainstem auditory evoked potential testing should be performed in children with jaundice at an early stage.

4. How to care for babies with jaundice

1. Determine the degree of jaundice.

Parents can observe the degree of yellowing of the newborn's skin under natural light. If only the face is yellow, it is mild jaundice; if the skin on the trunk is yellow, it is moderate jaundice; if the limbs and the palms and soles of the feet are also yellow, it is severe jaundice.

2. Observe the color of stool.

If the stool is clay-colored, pathological jaundice should be considered, which is mostly caused by congenital bile duct malformations. If the jaundice is severe, associated symptoms occur, or the stool color is abnormal, you should go to the hospital immediately to avoid delaying treatment.

3. Expel meconium as soon as possible.

Because meconium contains a lot of bilirubin, if the meconium is not completely discharged, the bilirubin will be reabsorbed into the blood through the special enterohepatic circulation of the newborn, causing jaundice to increase.