Risk Factors of Infant Jaundice
October 22, 2009
Infant jaundice is characterized by yellow coloration of the skin and eyes of the newborn baby. Excess bilirubin in the baby’s blood is responsible for this condition.
Infant jaundice usually does not cause any complications. Often without any medical intervention, the jaundice heals naturally.
Causes of infant jaundice
Immature liver
Bilirubin is a waste, produced from the break down of the aged red blood cells. A healthy liver filters the bilirubin from the blood stream and flashes it out of the body through the feces. Infant jaundice usually occurs in preterm babies, whose livers are not developed enough to eliminate the bilirubin from the body.
After the liver becomes fully developed, it could perform the normal function of bilirubin elimination. Sometimes full term babies might suffer from mild infant jaundice, which occurs when the baby is 2 to 4 days old. It heals naturally within 1 to 2 weeks, after the liver becomes fully developed.
Deficiency in breast milk
If the infant fails to get adequate breast milk, he/she might suffer from infant jaundice. Mothers, who are unable to nurse their babies properly, increase the risk of jaundice in breastfed babies. Nutritional deficiency, dehydration and low calorie intake during breastfeeding increase the risk of infant jaundice in breastfed babies.
Bruising during delivery
If bruises occur during delivery, the breakdown of red blood cells increases. This raises the level of bilirubin in the blood, which are wastes produced from breakdown of red blood cells.
Incompatible blood group
If the Rhesus factors of the mother and the child are different, risk of jaundice increases in newborns. The antibodies from the mother’s body might enter the baby’s body, killing the red blood cells of the infant. The breakdown of red blood cells increases the bilirubin level in the infant’s blood, producing jaundice.
To prevent jaundice in newborns due to incompatibility in blood group, mothers are given Rh immune globulin injections, which prevent the mother’s antibodies from recognizing the incompatible red blood cells of the infant.
Symptoms of infant jaundice
The skin of the baby suffering from jaundice becomes yellow. The face becomes yellow first, followed by the chest, stomach, arms and legs. The eyes of the infant can also become yellow.
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