What causes jaundice in children? The causes of jaundice in children are revealed

Clinically, the high level of jaundice in children is mainly divided into physiological factors and pathological factors. Pathological factors are further divided into congenital factors and acquired factors. Congenital factors usually have a family genetic tendency and are related to anemia. Acquired factors are usually related to secondary infection or hemolysis. Physiological factors should be considered to be caused by breastfeeding.

Most expectant mothers will find that their children's skin color is a little yellow after giving birth, mainly on the face. In fact, this is a manifestation of high jaundice, but the cause is different, the degree of increase in the jaundice index is also different, and the effect of disease control will also be different. If the condition is serious, the jaundice index is too high and cannot be reduced, which can easily affect intelligence. But what is the cause of jaundice in children?

Congenital hemolytic anemia

Such diseases as thalassemia and hereditary spherocytosis are usually formed in the embryonic period. If someone in the family is sick, the offspring will have a higher chance of developing the disease. These children will have a higher jaundice index when they are born.

Acquired hemolytic anemia

This type of disease is caused by acquired factors, such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia, neonatal hemolysis, or hemolysis after blood transfusion of different blood types. When the disease occurs, the jaundice index will be higher than the normal range. It may also be related to diseases such as favism, snake venom, and venom. If the problem is not handled in time, the jaundice index will continue to rise.

Physiological jaundice

High jaundice is not necessarily caused by pathological factors. It is not ruled out that it is caused by physiological factors. It is also a normal phenomenon and harmless to the human body. Physiological jaundice does not last long. Generally, the symptoms can be relieved on their own in a short time. It is the yellowest on the 4th to 5th day, and disappears on the 10th to 14th day for full-term infants. However, liver function should be checked regularly during the period. If there is no abnormality in liver function, no special treatment is required.

Breast milk jaundice

It is mainly caused by long-term breastfeeding. Because breast milk contains the hormone progesterone, long-term breastfeeding may inhibit the activity of glucuronyl transferase in the liver of the newborn, resulting in the inability to metabolize and excrete bilirubin in the blood in time, which will subsequently lead to high jaundice.

If you find that your child has yellow skin color at birth, you should be alert to the above factors. However, you cannot identify the cause of jaundice based on symptoms alone, so it is necessary to go to the hospital for examination and then treat the problem symptomatically based on the results. If the jaundice is high and cannot be reduced, you should also strictly follow the requirements to take oral medication to reduce the yellowing, or irradiate blue light for treatment.