What effect does jaundice have on baby's health?

Jaundice is a common neonatal disease, which usually appears on the 2nd to 3rd day after birth, reaches its peak on the 4th to 6th day, and subsides on the 7th to 65th and 43rd day. Jaundice is caused by poor bilirubin metabolism in newborns. Bilirubin is the product of red blood cell decomposition, which is usually processed by the liver and excreted. If the liver is not treated in time or incompletely, bilirubin will accumulate in the body, which will cause jaundice.

For most babies, neonatal jaundice will not affect their health. But if it is pathological jaundice, it may affect the baby's health. Pathological jaundice generally occurs within 24 hours after birth, and serum bilirubin increases by more than 5mg/dl every day (that is, it appears early, the degree is heavy, and the progress is fast). It lasts for a long time, more than 2 weeks for full-term infants and more than 4 weeks for premature infants.

Pathological jaundice may lead to acidosis, liver injury and increased risk of infection. Details are as follows:

-acidosis: abnormally high jaundice may lead to bloody acidosis, which may cause symptoms such as thirst, dyspnea and hypoglycemia in infants.

-Liver damage: The increased jaundice level may be caused by abnormal liver function. If infant jaundice lasts too long, it will cause certain damage and influence to the liver.

-Increased risk of infection: infants with high jaundice have low resistance and are susceptible to infection, such as sepsis and pneumonia. At the same time, if jaundice is not treated in time, high bilirubin content may damage the nervous system. In addition to the above effects, there are other effects, such as mental retardation, brain injury and renal failure.