Patient's question:
Just six days after birth, jaundice was detected. Over the past two days, the baby has been receiving blue light treatment. However, I've noticed that the baby is a bit sleepy and has reduced sucking strength when feeding. Searching online, I learned to be cautious about the possibility of jaundice affecting the brain of the baby. I've never heard of this before, so I'd like to ask what are the symptoms of jaundice affecting the brain in newborns?Doctor's answer:
Hemolytic disease of the newborn is a relatively serious condition. After the onset of the disease, children may exhibit symptoms such as lethargy, muscle stiffness, and decreased sucking ability. If the disease progresses further, symptoms like irritability, breast rejection, and convulsions may occur. If the child is currently undergoing treatment in the hospital, brain computerized tomography (CT) scans or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) tests, as well as blood bilirubin tests, can be performed to further assess whether the child has hemolytic disease of the newborn. Based on the test results, it can be determined whether alternative treatment is necessary.