What is the diagnosis of jaundice?

Neonatal jaundice is a common physiological phenomenon in children during their first years of life, but it can also be a manifestation of disease. It is divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. Pathological jaundice poses a great threat to the healthy growth and even life safety of children. The nature of jaundice needs to be correctly judged in time. So how to diagnose neonatal jaundice?

This is physiological jaundice, which can heal itself without treatment. Some jaundice is very mild and cannot even be seen without careful observation. Some jaundice is very deep and lasts for a long time, ranging from half a month to more than 20 days, showing the phenomenon of jaundice retention. It is more common in premature infants or newborns with cephalohematoma and a history of asphyxia. However, as long as the baby eats well, has no abnormal spirit, has normal bowel movements, and the jaundice gradually fades, this is also within the scope of physiological jaundice, so there is no need to panic.

If a child has jaundice at birth and it gets worse quickly, but the mucous membranes of the lips are very pale, and the breathing and heartbeat are very rapid, this is neonatal hemolytic disease caused by incompatibility of the mother's and the child's blood, and the child needs to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment. If jaundice appears a week or several weeks after birth, and it gets worse progressively or intermittently, accompanied by fever, grayish complexion, refusal to eat, nausea, vomiting and other poisoning symptoms, it is possible that a part of the body is infected with bacteria and has neonatal sepsis.

There is no jaundice at birth, but jaundice appears 1-2 weeks or longer after birth, and it progressively deepens. The baby is still good at feeding. For example, the stool is still light yellow in the first few days after birth, but as the jaundice deepens, the stool gradually turns white and clay-like. This is a kind of obstructive jaundice. The baby needs to be sent to the hospital for detailed examination, which may be congenital biliary atresia.

If the neonatal jaundice is very deep and persistent, and there are neurological symptoms such as drowsiness, weak sucking, muscle paralysis, and as the disease progresses, there are screaming, staring, increased muscle tension, convulsions, vomiting and other symptoms. This is because the bilirubin in the blood has entered the brain and combined with the brain tissue, seriously damaging the brain nerves. Severe cases will have dementia sequelae.

Neonatal jaundice is extremely harmful to children, so parents must pay attention to it. In order for your children to grow up healthily and happily, parents must understand the various diseases that may endanger their children's health, and also take good care of their children in daily life.