Patient's question:
My colleague gave birth to a child in the hospital two days ago. She noticed that the baby's skin is yellow. The doctor recommended a check-up, which revealed jaundice. How should it be treated? What is the standard level of jaundice for newborns?Doctor's answer:
If jaundice occurs within 24 hours after birth, with serum bilirubin increasing by more than 5 mg/dL daily or more than 0.5 mg/dL per hour; if it persists for a long duration—more than 2 weeks for full-term infants and GT, or more than 4 weeks for preterm infants and GT—with no decline, even worsening after repeated episodes, or if jaundice appears within one week to several weeks after birth, it is considered pathological jaundice.Neonatal jaundice refers to the condition during the neonatal period where abnormal bilirubin metabolism leads to elevated bilirubin levels in the blood, resulting in the yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, and sclera. It is the most common clinical issue in newborns.