Introduction to sequelae of neonatal jaundice

Many people are not very familiar with neonatal jaundice, but some newborns may indeed suffer from this disease when they are just born. Once they get this disease, they must go to the hospital immediately to receive the correct treatment, otherwise it is likely to lead to death. Let us learn about the sequelae of neonatal jaundice.

Detailed introduction:

Neonatal jaundice is divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. Physiological jaundice of neonates can disappear on its own in about a week. If it has not disappeared in a week, you should go to the hospital for treatment. Pathological jaundice is a group of diseases caused by many reasons and must be discovered and treated as early as possible. The common causes of jaundice are: hemolytic jaundice, infectious jaundice, obstructive jaundice, breast milk jaundice, etc. Newborns with severe jaundice should be alert to the occurrence of kernicterus, especially immature infants. The younger the age, the higher the incidence rate. Generally, symptoms such as lethargy, drowsiness, weak sucking, decreased muscle tone, vomiting, and refusal to eat may appear within 12-48 hours after the onset of severe jaundice. If treated in time, they can recover completely. Regardless of the cause, pathological jaundice can cause "kernicterus" in severe cases, which has a poor prognosis. In addition to causing damage to the nervous system, severe cases can cause death.

Generally, physiological jaundice in newborns will not have any sequelae, and pathological jaundice will not have any sequelae if treated in time.

If the jaundice of the newborn is very deep and persists, and there are neurological symptoms such as drowsiness, weak sucking, muscle paralysis, etc., as the disease progresses, there are symptoms such as screaming, staring, increased muscle tone, convulsions, vomiting, etc. This is because the bilirubin in the blood has entered the brain, combined with the brain tissue, and seriously damaged the brain nerves. If treated promptly, relief will be achieved in 1-2 days and recovery will be achieved in 1-2 weeks. If the treatment is not timely, it will affect the intellectual development.

It is difficult to determine early whether jaundice has caused brain damage, which is medically known as bilirubin encephalopathy or kernicterus. Because in the early stages of kernicterus, babies may only have poor reactions or excitement, reduced feeding or convulsions, which are not specific, and when the above symptoms appear, brain damage has already occurred and is irreversible.

The above article introduces the sequelae of neonatal jaundice. I believe everyone has a certain understanding of it. In life, we must prevent the occurrence of these sequelae. We must pay special attention to the personal hygiene of newborns, and clothes should be placed in one place for separate washing.