 
Facts About Jaundice
Most jaundice in newborn babies is a normal event and is
not serious. In most cases, this jaundice will disappear after a few days, often without any
special treatment. Also, once this type of jaundice disappears, there is no evidence that it will
appear again or that it has any lasting effects on the baby.
What does the word "jaundice" mean?
Jaundice comes from the French word jaune, which means yellow. When it is
said that a baby is jaundiced, it simply means that the color of his skin appears yellow. Jaundice in the infant
appears first in the face and upper body and progresses downward toward the toes. Premature infants are more likely to develop
jaundice than full-term babies.
What causes the skin to appear yellow?
The yellowish coloration is caused by an excess amount of
bilirubin in the baby's skin. Bilirubin is a yellowish-red pigment. Normally, small
amounts of bilirubin are found in everyone's blood. When too much bilirubin is made, the excess is dumped into the
bloodstream and is deposited in tissues for temporary storage.
Why would a baby have excess bilirubin in his blood?
Bilirubin is formed and released into the bloodstream when red blood cells are
broken down. Newborns have a high red blood cell volume; this increases the bilirubin load. The bilirubin is then
carried to the liver where it is processed and eventually excreted from the body.
Commonly, neonatal jaundice occurs for two reasons:
1. Infants have too many red blood cells. It is a natural process for the baby's body to break down
these excess red blood cells, forming a large amount of bilirubin. It is this bilirubin that causes
the skin to take on a yellowish color.
2. A newborn's liver is immature and cannot process bilirubin as quickly as he will be able to when
he gets older. This slow processing of bilirubin has nothing to do with liver disease. It merely
means that the baby's liver is not as fully developed as it will be, and thus, there is some delay
in eliminating the bilirubin.
Physiologic jaundice:
Most babies with jaundice have physiologic jaundice. This is the type of
jaundice that is caused because of the natural process of breaking down red blood cells.
Other factors:
Occasionally there are other factors that cause jaundice in an infant. Two of
these causes are conditions known as ABO Incompatibility and Rh Incompatibility. Both of these
conditions result in a very fast breakdown of red blood cells. Also, jaundice may appear in infants
with physical defects in the organs that work to eliminate bilirubin from the body. If the baby's
jaundice is caused by either of these (or other) conditions, expect additional details from the
doctor or nurse caring for the baby. |
