When does neonatal jaundice usually appear? Is neonatal jaundice dangerous?

When does neonatal jaundice usually occur? If the physiological jaundice of the newborn is not properly cared for, it may lead to pathological jaundice, so parents must pay attention to preventive measures. So, when does neonatal jaundice usually occur? When will it subside?

When does neonatal jaundice appear and disappear?

1. When does neonatal jaundice appear?

Physiological jaundice: generally appears about 3 days after birth, and in some cases, the skin may turn slightly yellow from the second day after birth, or may appear after 5 days. It gradually worsens and is usually most obvious on the 23rd day after the onset of jaundice.

Pathological jaundice: Jaundice appears early, often within 24 hours after birth. If a newborn develops jaundice a few hours after birth, usually the first parts to appear are the sclera and face, then this is a dangerous signal.

2. Time for neonatal jaundice to subside

Physiological jaundice: Newborn jaundice usually disappears within 7-10 days after birth, and no later than 2 weeks after birth. Jaundice in premature infants may disappear until 34 weeks after birth.

Pathological jaundice: usually lasts for more than 2 weeks, and for premature infants for more than 3 weeks. If a newborn still has jaundice 2 weeks after birth, it indicates an abnormality regardless of the serum bilirubin level. Parents should take the baby to the hospital for necessary examinations to find out the cause of the jaundice.

What are the dangers of jaundice in children?

Sepsis: Symptoms include fever, severe toxic blood symptoms, skin rash with petechiae, hepatosplenomegaly, and increased white blood cell count. It is divided into Gram-positive coccal sepsis, Gram-negative bacillary sepsis, and septic sepsis. It is mainly treated with antibiotics, supplemented by other treatments.

Pneumonia in children: The symptoms are not exactly the same as those of pneumonia in older children. They are mostly atypical, and a few have coughs, but the body temperature may not rise. The main symptoms are purple around the mouth, foam at the mouth, dyspnea, listlessness, less crying, no crying, and refusal to drink milk. Sometimes they are just "cold" symptoms, such as nasal congestion and choking on milk. However, if you observe carefully, you will find that the child breathes very quickly (more than 45 times/minute, normally 40 to 44 times/minute), and may even be accompanied by the three-depression sign (the depression of the upper sternal fossa, intercostal space and subxiphoid process during inhalation is called the three-depression sign) and other manifestations of dyspnea.

Biliary atresia: persistent jaundice after birth, grayish-white stools, and in severe cases, liver failure, ascites, and esophageal varices may occur.

Breast milk jaundice: The child has good nutritional development, is in good general condition, has gained weight, has yellow stools, and has normal stool color. The liver and spleen are not enlarged. The child has normal liver function and no anemia. Jaundice usually appears 4-5 days after birth and gradually worsens. The elevated bilirubin can last for about 10 days, then the jaundice gradually subsides and returns to normal levels in 3-12 weeks.

Bilirubin encephalopathy: This disease is clinically divided into 4 stages, stages 1 to 3 appear in early childhood, and stage 4 appears after childhood.

1. Warning period: Symptoms include drowsiness, weakened sucking reflex and decreased muscle tone. Most cases of jaundice suddenly worsen significantly. It lasts for 12 to 24 hours.

(II) Spasm stage: In mild cases, the eyes only stare, and the muscle tension increases intermittently; in severe cases, the hands clench into fists, the forearms rotate inward, the body arches, and sometimes screams. It lasts for about 12 to 24 hours.

(III) Recovery period: Usually at the end of the first week, the sucking power and the reaction to the outside world gradually recover, and then the spasm gradually eases and disappears. It lasts about 2 weeks.

(IV) Sequelae: usually occurs 2 months after birth or later, manifested as athetosis, eye movement disorders, deafness, intellectual disability or enamel hypoplasia.