Patient's question:
My daughter has been born for 21 days, and the jaundice has lasted for 17 days without subsiding. I don't know why, and I'm wondering if it will affect the child's health.Doctor's answer:
Physiological jaundice appears 2 to 3 days after birth, peaks between 4 to 6 days, and subsides within 7 to 10 days. Premature infants have a longer duration of jaundice, with only mild loss of appetite as the primary clinical symptom. If jaundice appears within 24 hours after birth and persists for 2 to 3 weeks without improvement, worsens further, reappears after initially subsiding, or begins within a week to several weeks after birth, it is considered pathological jaundice.Treatment for neonatal jaundice:
1. Blue light irradiation
2. Use of enzyme inducers: Phenobarbital is commonly used, with a dosage of 5–6 mg/kg/day.
- Phototherapy can resolve the condition on its own.
- Drinking more sugar water can accelerate jaundice resolution, and treatment may not be necessary.
3. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) methods: Clearing heat, promoting diuresis, regulating qi and blood circulation, strengthening the spleen, resolving dampness, and promoting bile excretion to reduce jaundice.