Jaundice
A simple test for jaundice is to gently press your fingertip on the tip of your child's nose or forehead.
Jaundice
Jaundice comes from the French word jaune, which means yellow. Jaundice is not a disease but rather a sign that can occur in many different diseases. Jaundice is the yellowish staining of the skin and sclerae (the whites of the eyes) that is caused by high levels in blood of the chemical bilirubin. The color of the skin and sclerae vary depending on the level of bilirubin. When the bilirubin level is mildly elevated, they are yellowish. When the bilirubin level is high, they tend to be brown.
A simple test for jaundice is to gently press your fingertip on the tip of your child's nose or forehead. If the skin shows white (this test works for all races) there is no jaundice else it shows a yellowish color. You should contact your child's doctor to see if significant jaundice is present.
Some cause and Symptoms of Jaundice
G6PD [glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase) deficiency, a permanent condition where red blood cells break down too easily when exposed to certain trigger agents.
Breast Milk Jaundice -- A very small number of breastfed babies, about 2%, develop jaundice because of substances in their mother's breast milk that cause their bilirubin levels to rise.
Infant jaundice commonly lasts for a week to 10 days in full-term newborns. If your baby is premature or if you breast-feed your baby, jaundice may last longer.
Jaundice may occur with the breakdown of red blood cells due to hemolytic disease of the newborn (Rh disease), having too many red blood cells, or bleeding.
Physiological Jaundice -- This type of jaundice affects about half of full-term newborns in their first week, typically three to five days after birth. It occurs when a baby's liver is not able to sufficiently process bilirubin. Typically this condition disappears within one to two weeks. Because their livers are less mature, preterm babies are more frequently affected by this form of jaundice.
Bruising: A baby who has bruises at birth is more likely to have jaundice. A bruise forms when blood leaks out of a blood vessel and causes the skin to look black and blue. Then, when the bruise begins to heal, red blood cells die. Bilirubin is made when red blood cells break down. The healing of large bruises may cause high levels of bilirubin, and the baby may become jaundiced.
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Treating Jaundice
Light therapy (phototherapy). Your baby may be placed under a special ultraviolet light or wrapped in a fiber-optic blanket of light. The light changes the bilirubin into a form that can be eliminated by your baby's kidneys. Newborns with jaundice typically receive phototherapy for several days. The baby's milk intake may also need to be increased throughout the therapy.
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Phototherapy is a safe and effective way of treating mild jaundice.
This treatment is administered as a special micro-blue wavelength light condensed and manufactured specifically for this purpose. It is emitted from a fluorescent light tube.
Note: French researchers recently stated that exposure to strong sunlight will lead to development of moles on the skin. These moles are termed as melanocytic naevi in medical jargon. Therefore the researchers advice the parents to give sufficient protection while exposing them to intense light therapy.
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Phototherapy is a safe and effective way of treating mild jaundice.
This treatment is administered as a special micro-blue wavelength light condensed and manufactured specifically for this purpose. It is emitted from a fluorescent light tube.
Note: French researchers recently stated that exposure to strong sunlight will lead to development of moles on the skin. These moles are termed as melanocytic naevi in medical jargon. Therefore the researchers advice the parents to give sufficient protection while exposing them to intense light therapy.
Good fluid intake is essential for newborn babies. Jaundice is often exaggerated with mild dehydration. Bilirubin is metabolised or processed by the liver. Mild jaundice in the first week needs no treatment except fluids.
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If jaundice develops because of blood group differences between mother and baby, an intravenous transfusion of antibodies may decrease the jaundice and lessen the need for exchange blood transfusion.
Exchange blood transfusion. Rarely, when severe jaundice doesn't respond to other treatments, a baby may need an exchange transfusion of blood. This involves repeatedly withdrawing small amounts of blood, "diluting out" the bilirubin and maternal antibodies, and then transferring blood back into the baby — a procedure that's performed in a newborn intensive care unit.
What are the risks associated with jaundice?
Pathological jaundice: In some situations, however, there is so much bilirubin in a baby's blood that it can be harmful. This condition is called pathological jaundice. If the level of bilirubin becomes very high, it may affect some of the baby's brain cells. This may cause a baby to be less active. In rare cases, a baby may have seizures (convulsions).
Jaundice itself is not contagious and poses no risks to others.
If your doctor has advised sunbathing for your jaundiced baby, expose him to indirect sunlight for not more than 20 minutes as baby skin is very tender and sunburn can occur very easily. Expose your baby only to the morning sun (and indirectly) when there is less heat.
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