Newborn jaundice is a condition marked by high levels of bilirubin in the blood. The increased bilirubin cause the infant's skin and whites of the eyes (sclera) to look yellow.
Bilirubin is a yellow pigment that's created in the body during the normal recycling of old red blood cells. The liver processes bilirubin in the blood so that it can be removed from the body in the stool.
Before birth, the placenta -- the organ that nourishes the developing baby -- removes the bilirubin from the infant so that it can be processed by the mother's liver. Immediately after birth, the baby's own liver begins to take over the job, but this can take time. Therefore, bilirubin levels in an infant are normally a little higher after birth.
High levels of bilirubin in the body can cause the skin to look yellow. This is called jaundice. Jaundice is present to some degree in most newborns. Such "physiological jaundice" usually appears between day 2 and 3, peaks between days 2 and 4, and clears by 2 weeks. Physiological jaundice usually causes no problems.
Breast milk jaundice is another common, usually non-harmful form of newborn jaundice. Breast milk may contain a substance that increases reuse of bilirubin in the intestines. Such jaundice appears in some healthy, breastfed babies after day 7 of life, and usually peaks during weeks 2 and 3.
Breast milk jaundice (2 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Breast milk jaundice is persistently high levels of bilirubin in a newborn''s blood caused by certain substances found in breast milk. Bilirubin is a yellow-colored fluid that forms when red blood cells break down.If jaundice occurs or persists pas...Reviewer: Deirdre O?Reilly, MD, MPH, Neonatologist, Division of Newborn Medicine, Children?s Hospital Boston and Instructor in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. Review Provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.Date: 09/28/2007
Jaundice-associated conditions (4 images)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Jaundice-associated conditions are diseases or conditions that cause yellow skin( jaundice).Jaundice is a sign of liver, gallbladder, or certain blood disorders. The skin and the eyes become yellow due to the buildup of bilirubin in the skin and"w...Reviewer: David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine; and George F. Lonstreth, MD, Department of Gastroenterology, Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program, San Diego, California. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 04/23/2009
Crigler-Najjar syndrome (1 image)(Doctor-Reviewed information)
Crigler-Najjar syndrome is a very rare inherited disorder in which bilirubin(a substance made by the liver) cannot be broken down.Glucuronyl transferase deficiency(type I Crigler-Najjar); Arias syndrome(type II Crigler-Najjar).Crigler-Najjar syndr...Reviewer: Diana Chambers, MS, EdD, Certified Genetics Counselor (ABMG), Charter Member of the ABGC, University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.Date: 08/07/2008
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