Patient's question:
Doctor, last week my colleague had a baby, but the child developed jaundice right after birth. It's been almost a week, and the jaundice hasn't gone away yet. I'm quite worried, so I wanted to ask you, what should be done if a newborn's jaundice doesn't go away?Doctor's answer:
Infants usually develop physiological jaundice around 3-4 days after birth. Generally, pathological jaundice lasts for more than half a month. It is considered pathological jaundice if the jaundice is severe or progresses rapidly; the jaundice duration is long (full-term infants lasting more than 2 weeks, preterm infants lasting more than 4 weeks); or if the jaundice returns after subsiding. Any cause of pathological jaundice should be identified and treated. This is especially important for premature infants within the first week and those with severe hypoxia, acidosis, intracranial lesions, or severe infections, who must receive early and active treatment to avoid adverse consequences.