what causes recurrent jaundice in newborns?

Question

iam asking because my daughter had jaundiced 2 days after she was born and lasted for quite a while bcos of sepsis which has been treated with antibiotics and phototherpy...after a few weeks it cleared up..but now at 6 wks it seems to be coming back..am quite confused bcos just a week ago i had her blood checked cbc and pc and results shows no more infection

Answer 1

What is jaundice?

Jaundice is a condition of excessive build up of a substance called bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a product of break down of red blood cells and is normally processed by the liver and excreted from the body in bile. When the liver malfunctions, bilirubin is not excreted and it gets deposited near the skin surface giving a yellow tinge to the skin, mucous membranes, and eyes.

Jaundice occurs when excess amounts of bilirubin circulating in the blood stream causes a yellowish appearance of the skin and the whites of the eyes. With the exception of physiologic jaundice in the newborn (normal newborn jaundice in the first week of life), all other jaundice indicates overload or damage to the liver, or inability to move bilirubin from the liver through the biliary tract to the gut.

Newborn jaundice is common and unless associated with an abnormal condition will clear without treatment. Another condition called Gilbert's syndrome is a hereditary condition in which mild jaundice develops during times of stress. This condition, once recognised, requires no further treatment or evaluation. There are also other more rare hereditary causes of elevated bilirubin levels. All other jaundice is the result of an underlying disease, condition, or toxicity.

A yellow-to-orange colour may be imparted to the skin by excessive intake of beta carotene, the orange pigment seen in carrots. People who consume large quantities of carrots or carrot juice or take beta carotene tablets may develop a distinctly yellow-orange cast to their skin. This condition is called hypercarotenemia or just carotenemia. Hypercarotenemia is easily distinguished from jaundice in that the whites of the eye (sclera) remain white, while people with true jaundice have a yellow sclera.

What are the causes?

In children
Newborn jaundice (physiologic jaundice)
Breast feeding jaundice
Viral hepatitis (hepatitis A, hepatitis B, hepatitis C, hepatitis D, and hepatitis E)
Haemolytic anaemia
Congenital disorders of bilirubin metabolism (Gilbert's syndrome)
Autoimmune hepatitis
Malaria

To ease your worries it's very important that you discuss them with your pediatritain because he or she knows best about what might be causing this recurrent jaundice with your little girl.
I wish you all the best and good luck with your little girl.

Answer 2

Recurrent Jaundice

Answer 3

Ha, it has nothing to do with smoking while pregnant. Although I don't condone smoking when pregnant that's not even the topic. It's something called bilirubin. It's a breakdown of the red blood cells basically. They are the ones that provide oxygen to the body. Jaundice is when a newborn's liver cannot process the bilirubin. It usually shows up in the whites of their eyes. My son had it and once we got him home it got worse (looking) before it got better. For some reason it's more common in breasfed babies and lasts longer in breastfed babies.

Answer 4

The pediatrician would know best so I would suggest checking with him/her. But make sure your daughter is getting enough sunlight. A baby needs at least 15 minutes of sunlight a day (not necessarily all at once). You can put your baby by the window or go for a short walk and that should help. Put sunscreen on your baby if you think the sun is too intense, depending on weather and where you live. Don't keep the house too dark during the day. Also, if you are not breastfeeding, make sure that the baby's formula is very fresh and toss out old formula regularly. Good luck!