Women with an O blood type or Rh negative blood factor might have babies with higher bilirubin levels. A mother with Rh incompatibility should be given Rhogam. If your baby does have jaundice, it is important to take jaundice seriously and stick to the follow-up plan for appointments and recommended care.
Make sure your baby is getting enough to eat. If you are breastfeeding, you should nurse the baby at least 8 to 12 times a day for the first few days. Support and advice for breastfeeding mothers may increase the chances of successful breastfeeding. If you are having trouble breastfeeding, ask your doctor, nurse, or a lactation coach for help. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate.
What are Jaundice and Kernicterus? Minus Related Pages. When severe jaundice goes untreated for too long, it can cause brain damage and a condition called kernicterus. This is called mild jaundice, and it gives a newborn a slightly yellowish tint to the skin and sometimes the eyes.
Normally, extra bilirubin is removed from the bloodstream by the liver and kidneys, and it leaves the body in urine and stool.
During pregnancy, the mother's body removes the extra bilirubin for the baby. After birth, it takes a few days for the newborn's liver to get good at removing bilirubin from the blood. If you feed your baby every 2 to 3 hours, mild jaundice will usually go away on its own after a few days.
But if your baby has any signs of jaundice, you and your doctor will need to watch him or her closely. If jaundice continues to get worse and is not treated, bilirubin in the blood can build up to a high level. This is when kernicterus becomes a concern. It may be that some babies have health problems that make them more likely to have bilirubin levels that climb to high levels.
For example, hemolytic disease, in which a mother's Rh blood factor is not compatible with her baby's , can make a baby produce more bilirubin than normal. Intestinal blockages can make it harder for a baby to remove bilirubin. Your doctor diagnoses kernicterus through a physical exam and knowledge of your child's history of symptoms.
Blood tests to measure your baby's bilirubin levels are also done. Once a baby has kernicterus, brain damage has already occurred. For this reason, it is important to follow and treat jaundice before bilirubin levels get too high. You may be able to help prevent kernicterus by being aware of the symptoms of jaundice and making sure your baby gets testing and treatment when needed.
Quick treatment may help prevent further brain damage. Treatment may start with light therapy and fluids given through a needle into a vein intravenous fluid replacement.
Sometimes a baby may also have a tube placed down his or her throat or into the stomach for feeding with a special type of formula. A baby will also have a blood type test so that he or she can quickly get a blood transfusion if it is needed.
A blood transfusion may be given to help remove extra bilirubin from the baby's blood. Long-term treatment for brain damage will depend on a child's specific problems.
Typical treatment includes physical therapy , speech therapy, and special education. Author: Healthwise Staff. Your baby may be at risk of developing kernicterus if: they have a very high level of bilirubin in their blood the level of bilirubin in their blood is rising rapidly they don't receive any treatment Kernicterus is now very rare in the UK, affecting less than 1 in every , babies.
Initial symptoms of kernicterus in babies include: poor feeding irritability a high-pitched cry lethargy sleepiness brief pauses in breathing apnoea their muscles becoming unusually floppy, like a rag doll As kernicterus progresses, additional symptoms can include fits seizures and muscle spasms that can cause arching of the back and neck. If significant brain damage occurs before treatment, a child can develop serious and permanent problems, such as: cerebral palsy a condition that affects movement and co-ordination hearing loss which can range from mild to severe learning disabilities involuntary twitching of different parts of their body problems maintaining normal eye movements people affected by kernicterus have a tendency to gaze upwards or from side to side, rather than straight ahead poor development of the teeth Page last reviewed: 04 September Next review due: 04 September This means they are unusually sleepy.
All babies sleep a lot, but lethargic babies sleep even more than is typical and are very hard to wake up. When they do wake up, they often fall right back to sleep. Kernicterus is very rare in adults. The conditions that cause it most often affect infants. Jaundice is a common problem in newborns.
When the level of unconjugated bilirubin gets very high, it can move out of the blood and into the brain tissue. Unconjugated bilirubin can lead to kernicterus if something causes it to build up. Conjugated bilirubin does not cross from the blood into the brain and can usually be removed from your body. If her baby is Rh-positive, it means they do have that protein attached to their red blood cells.
This is known as Rh incompatibility. After the baby is born, bilirubin builds up in the bloodstream and brain. Rh disease is rare today, because mothers can be treated for it during pregnancy.
A similar, but less severe condition can sometimes occur when a mother has type O blood and her baby has a different type ABO incompatibility. This is still fairly common. Though these babies are also at higher risk for kernicterus, it can almost always be prevented with proper monitoring and early treatment if necessary. Babies with this inherited condition lack an enzyme needed to convert unconjugated bilirubin to conjugated bilirubin for removal. As a result, high levels of bilirubin build up in their blood.
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