Patient's question:
Reference values for newborn jaundice. Is a jaundice level of 23 high? Is it high for a one-month-old baby? Do they need medication? Or should they be exposed to blue light? Or should it be allowed to gradually subside on its own?Doctor's answer:
Hello. In medicine, jaundice in newborns (within 28 days of birth) is called neonatal jaundice. Neonatal jaundice refers to jaundice characterized by the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera during the neonatal period, which occurs due to abnormal bilirubin metabolism. Physiological jaundice appears 2-3 days after birth, reaches its peak between 4-6 days, and subsides between 7-10 days. In premature infants, it lasts longer. Except for mild anorexia, there are no other clinical symptoms. If jaundice occurs within 24 hours after birth and does not subside within 2-3 weeks, even if it worsens further or recurs after subsiding, or if it appears within 1 to several weeks after birth, it is considered pathological jaundice. The normal value of neonatal jaundice is referenced by serum bilirubin.