Premature infants with recurrent jaundice
Release time : 06/08/2025 09:30:01
Repeated jaundice in preterm infants - what should parents do? Premature infants exhibiting jaundice may have initially seemed a cause for concern, but fortunately, the initial episodes of jaundice have subsided. However, there is another issue that cannot be overlooked. Could premature newborns experience repeated episodes of jaundice? Jaundice in neonates is characterized by skin, sclera, and mucous membranes becoming yellowish due to accumulation of bilirubin within the body. In full-term newborns, this condition typically occurs after the first 2-3 days of life, peaking around the fourth to fifth day, and usually resolves within two weeks. Premature infants may experience a prolongation of this period, lasting up to three to four weeks.
The pathological jaundice occurs early, usually within 24 hours.
Generally speaking, physiological jaundice does not recur; however, if pathological jaundice is not effectively treated, it may recur.
If the jaundice of a preterm infant occurs early and recurs after the physiological jaundice has subsided with deepened coloration, accompanied by other symptoms, it may be pathological.
Symptoms include jaundice, which is present in the skin, white eyes, and sometimes also in tears and urine. If a newborn appears exhausted and weak, has a feeble cry, or refuses to feed, it is important to seek prompt medical attention for further examination and treatment.
How to Diagnose Premature Infantile Cirrhosis? How can parents diagnose the type of cirrhosis in their babies, promptly detecting the phenomenon of baby's cirrhosis and ensuring the best possible treatment for the baby? Below are some points that parents should pay attention to, so that they can make accurate judgments. 1. * * Observe the Baby's Skin and Whites of the Eyes**: -Observe if the baby's skin shows yellow, especially on the face, trunk, and limbs. -Check if the whites of the eyes are also yellow, which is usually a sign of accumulated bilirubin in the body. 2. * * Pay Attention to Changes in Baby's Behavior**: -Cirrhosis may cause the baby to appear tired or restless. -Observe if the baby has decreased appetite, slow weight gain, or other discomfort symptoms. 3. * * Regular Health Checkups**: -Regularly bring your baby to a hospital for health examinations, including blood tests and liver function tests. -The doctor will determine the type and severity of the cirrhosis based on the results. 4. * * Seek Medical Advice in Advance**: -If the baby exhibits any of the following signs, seek medical attention immediately: -Rapid increase in jaundice beyond the normal range. -Concomitant symptoms such as high fever, vomiting, abdominal pain. -Symptoms like convulsions, coma, or neurological symptoms. 5. * * Follow Doctor's Advice**: -Follow the doctor's recommendations for treatment, such as phototherapy or blood exchange therapy. -Closely monitor the effectiveness of the treatment, and if necessary, adjust the treatment plan as needed. By following the above methods, parents can more accurately identify the type of cirrhosis in their baby and take timely measures to help the baby receive the best possible treatment and recovery.
1. Time of appearance of jaundice: Physiological jaundice: It usually appears about 3 days after birth, and a few see slight yellowing of the skin starting from the second day after birth, or delayed until 5 days after birth.
It gradually worsens later, and is usually most obvious 2-3 days after the appearance of jaundice.
Pathological jaundice: Jaundicus appears early, often within 24 hours after birth.
If a newborn develops jaundice a few hours after birth, and the earliest parts usually appear are the sclera and face, it is a dangerous sign.
2. The degree of jaundice: Physiological jaundice: It is mainly determined by measuring serum bilirubin.
The highest value for physiological jaundice is that newborn full-term infants should not exceed 12mg %, and premature infants should not exceed 15mg %.
The order of appearance of jaundice is first spread from the sclera, face, neck, and then to the trunk and limbs.
Pathological jaundice: The jaundice progresses rapidly and gradually spreads from the face to the trunk and limbs. If a newborn's hands, feet and heart are found to be yellow stained, it will probably indicate that the blood bilirubin level exceeds 12 mg %.
3. Time for the elimination of jaundice, physiological jaundice: Newborn full-term infants generally resolve their jaundice within 7-10 days after birth, and no later than 2 weeks after birth. Premature infants can be delayed until 3-4 weeks after birth.
Pathological jaundice: often more than 2 weeks, more than 3 weeks in premature infants.
If the newborn has jaundice for two weeks after birth, regardless of the serum bilirubin level, it is an abnormal condition. Parents should take their child to the hospital for necessary examinations to find out the cause of the jaundice.
4. Other details: Physiological jaundice, in infants besides the jaundice, other aspects are normal, such as feeding, sleep, crying, urination and defecation, body temperature etc.
Pathological Jaundice: The newborn's mental state is significantly impaired. Sometimes, it exhibits gaze aversion or convulsions or screaming in one direction.
The normal range for jaundice in preterm infants is due to the accumulation of bilirubin in the body leading to skin or other organ discoloration, which is a common clinical issue in preterm infants.
Premature infants with bilirubin in their blood exceeding 5-7mg/dl (adults exceeding 2mg/dl) can develop macroscopic jaundice.
Under normal circumstances, the appearance of jaundice occurs in full-term infants 2-3 days after birth, peaks in 4-5 days, and usually resolves within 2 weeks, and in premature infants can be prolonged to 3-4 weeks.
Pathological jaundice appears early and usually occurs within 24 hours.
Medically, the jaundice that occurs in a baby before a month old (within 28 days of birth) is called jaundice in premature infants. The main symptom is yellowing of the skin, mucous membrane, and sclera. The baby has loss of appetite, restlessness, and body temperature may also rise.
Jaterus in premature infants is a very common disease in newborns. Clinically, 60% of full-term babies develop jaundice within one week after birth, and 80% of premature infants develop jaundice within 24 hours after birth.
Jaundicus in premature infants is mainly caused by imperfect liver function development, abnormal bilirubin metabolism, and increased bilirubin concentration in the blood. Specifically, it can be divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice.
How long does the jaundice in premature infants last? Many newborns experience premature jaundice, which is a normal occurrence. Parents need not worry; if it's not pathological, it will soon subside.
Parents need only to ensure proper care.
So how long does it usually take for premature infants to recover from jaundice? If it is physiological jaundice, no treatment is needed. If it is pathological jaundice, the main treatment method is to use blue light, so you must go to the pediatrics department of the hospital for treatment, and re-test the percutaneous bilirubin measurement to understand the treatment effect.
Pathological jaundice, regardless of the cause, can cause nuclear jaundice in severe cases. Its prognosis is poor. In addition to causing damage to the nervous system, severe cases can lead to death.
Newborn physiological jaundice: Newborn infants begin to develop jaundice 2-3 days after birth, most obvious after 4-5 days, and naturally resolves after 7-14 days. The general condition is good and there are no adverse reactions. It is called "physiological jaundice". Jaundicus in premature infants can last until 14 days and disappear. Newborn breast milk jaundice: The jaundice starts 4-7 days after birth and lasts for about 2 months. The main symptom is elevated in unconjugated bilirubin, with no clinical symptoms.
Neonatal pathological jaundice: jaundice appears early, within 24 hours after birth.
Paleness persisted, the jaundice did not subside after birth for 2-3 weeks, or even deepened.
Severe jaundice, with a golden or yellowish discoloration of the skin covering the whole body and prominent jaundice in the palms and soles, or serum bilirubin greater than 12-15 mg/dl.
With anemia or a change in stool color.
Individuals presenting with abnormal body temperature, loss of appetite, and vomiting.
What should be done if premature infants have high jaundice? The jaundice in premature infants usually appears earlier, lasts longer, and is more severe than that in full-term infants.
If jaundice appears early and is severe, it does not subside or if jaundice recurs after it has subsided, one should seek medical attention immediately.
Traditionally, prematurity with hyperbilirubinemia refers to serum bilirubin levels exceeding the current physiological jaundice criteria of 255μmol/L (15mg/dl) and falls under the category of pathological jaundice. In previous clinical practice, it was often believed that pathological jaundice always resulted in hyperbilirubinemia, or vice versa. This view is not entirely accurate.
In some premature neonates with nonhemolytic jaundice, such as asphyxia, hypoxia, infection, hypercarbia, and hypoproteinemia.
The bilirubin levels of these premature infants have not yet reached the traditional level of pathological jaundice, and there is also the possibility of developing bilirubin encephalopathy.
Therefore, pathological jaundice in premature infants is not necessarily hyperbilirubinemia that exceeds the standard for physiological jaundice.
Most hyperbilirubinemia that exceeds the criteria for physiological jaundice should be considered pathological.
In fact, there is not much difference between premature infants and normal children.
The most important thing is to clearly determine the cause of the child's yellowing.
In cases where necessary, treatment can include medication or phototherapy, among various other methods for the management of neonatal jaundice in premature infants.
This article contains medical information solely for reference purposes.
If you feel unwell, it is recommended to seek medical attention immediately, and the medical diagnosis and treatment will be subject to offline diagnosis.