Patient's question:
The child has just been born for five days. In the morning, it was found that the child had been feverish all along. The complexion was also particularly yellow. The doctor said this was jaundice. I would like to ask what causes neonatal jaundice? How should jaundice be treated? Does this kind of illness recur? How can it be prevented?Doctor's answer:
Neonatal jaundice is caused by abnormal bilirubin metabolism. It leads to an increase in bilirubin levels in the blood. This results in yellow staining of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera. It is primarily determined by clinical symptoms and laboratory bilirubin level tests. Physiological jaundice is a natural stage of child growth and development. It does not recur. Full-term infants develop jaundice 2-3 days after birth. It typically resolves within 5-7 days and does not last more than 2 weeks. Pathological jaundice appears earlier. It usually occurs within 24 hours after birth. The severity of jaundice is also relatively more severe. It progresses rapidly and may persist for a long time or reappear after initially subsiding.