[62] Neonatal Jaundice Flashcards
What is neonatal jaundice?
A yellowish discolouration of the white parts of the eyes and skin in a newborn baby due to excess bilirubin levels
When is jaundice more likely to have a serious underlying cause?
Any jaundice presenting in the first 24 hours of life
Give 3 examples of serious underlying causes of jaundice presenting in the first 24 hours?
- Infection
- Haemolytic disease
- Metabolic disorders
Why are bilirubin levels higher in neonates than in adults?
Because newborn babies have a higher concentration of RBCs, which also have a shorter lifespan
What does RBC breakdown create?
Unconjugated bilirubin
How does unconjugated bilirubin circulate?
Mostly bound to albumin
What is unconjugated bilirubin metabolised by?
The liver
What does the metabolism of unconjugated bilirubin in the liver produce?
Conjugated bilirubin
What happens to conjugated bilirubin?
It is excreted in the stool
What are the categories of neonatal jaundice?
- Physiological jaundice
- Early neonatal jaundice
- Prolonged jaundice
- Conjugated hyperbilirubinaemia
What is considered to be early neonatal jaundice?
Onset less than 24 hours
What is prolonged neonatal jaundice?
Jaundice lasting for more than 14 days in term infants, and 21 days in pre-term
What does physiological jaundice result from?
Increased erythrocyte breakdown and immature liver function
What can cause early neonatal jaundice?
- Haemolytic disease
- Infection
- Increased haemolysis due to haematoma
- Maternal autoimmune haemolytic anaemia
- Crigler-Najjar syndrome or Dublin-Johnson syndrome
- Gilbert’s syndrome
Give an example of a cause of haemolytic disease leading to early neonatal jaundice?
Haemolytic disease of the newborn
Give 3 examples of causes of infection that can lead to early neonatal jaundice
- Congenital infections
- Herpes simplex
- Postnatal infection