How should neonatal jaundice be classified? What are the causes of neonatal jaundice?

Neonatal jaundice is one of the most common clinical problems in the neonatal period. It is caused by the accumulation of bilirubin in the body, which leads to yellowing of the skin, sclera and other organs. Some children may recover on their own, but a small number of neonatal jaundice require treatment. Let's learn about the causes, classifications, and recurrent episodes of neonatal jaundice with Qiao Ping, chief physician of Zhaoqing First People's Hospital.

What are the causes of neonatal jaundice?

The causes of neonatal jaundice mainly include the following aspects:

1. Hemolytic disease is the most common cause of pathological jaundice, especially in newborns;

2. Infection. Some babies may be infected in the womb or at birth;

3. Favism in Guangdong and Guangxi;

4. G6pD deficiency can also cause neonatal jaundice;

5. Breast milk jaundice.

How should neonatal jaundice be classified?

Neonatal jaundice is mainly divided into two categories: physiological and pathological. Physiological jaundice is basically harmless to the newborn's body. It is just a physiological process and does not affect the growth and development of the newborn. However, pathological jaundice is divided into many types and is caused by many factors, including hemolysis, infection, perinatal hypoxia, gastrointestinal factors, genetics, metabolism, etc.

What causes recurring neonatal jaundice?

Some newborns will have jaundice repeatedly. The following situations should be considered:

1. If it reappears after completely disappearing, you need to pay attention to whether there is infection or hepatitis in the later stage;

2. Neonatal jaundice has not completely subsided. For example, if the neonate underwent phototherapy during hospitalization, it did not completely subside after stopping the phototherapy and rebounded. If the rebound is severe, it may be that other diseases of the neonate have not fully recovered.

For physiological jaundice, special treatment is generally not required. It only requires enhanced feeding and promotion of bilirubin excretion to resolve naturally. However, pathological jaundice requires phototherapy and drug intervention, and the cause of jaundice needs to be identified and treated for the primary disease. If treatment is not timely, it may cause bilirubin encephalopathy and damage to the nervous system. In severe cases, it may cause death, so it needs to be taken seriously.