Where can I find out the cause of high neonatal jaundice?

Neonatal jaundice is usually caused by a variety of reasons, including physiological factors, maternal and fetal blood type incompatibility, infection or other underlying diseases. Parents can conduct detailed examinations in the hospital's neonatal department to clarify the cause. Common diagnostic methods include blood tests, ultrasound examinations, and optical evaluations to determine the nature and severity of jaundice and to intervene in time.

1. Causes and detection methods of physiological jaundice

Most neonatal jaundice is a normal physiological phenomenon, mainly because the fetal hemoglobin in the baby's body is quickly metabolized into bilirubin. At this time, the liver function is not fully mature, resulting in the inability of bilirubin to be excreted smoothly. In this case, the total bilirubin level in the blood test is usually slightly high, but the liver function indicators are normal. The hospital's "Neonatal Jaundice Skin Monitor" or "Serum Total Bilirubin Test" can quickly determine whether it is physiological jaundice.

2. Common causes and examination plans for pathological jaundice

If the jaundice is abnormally severe and lasts for a long time, it may be pathological jaundice, such as incompatibility of blood types between mother and baby, abnormal lysis of red blood cells, infection, or hepatobiliary system disease. Doctors usually perform the following tests:

-Coombs test: used to detect hemolysis caused by incompatibility of maternal and fetal blood types.

-C-reactive protein and complete blood count: to check for infection or inflammation.

- Liver and bile duct ultrasound: to assess the development of the hepatobiliary system and whether the bile ducts are obstructed.

Depending on the cause of the disease, doctors will adopt personalized treatment methods, such as phototherapy, immunoglobulin injection, and even blood transfusion when necessary.

3. Impact and investigation of external environmental factors

Sometimes, factors related to the baby's living environment and breastfeeding can also cause increased jaundice. For example, breast milk jaundice may be caused by certain components in breast milk that reduce the metabolism of bilirubin. If such reasons are suspected, bilirubin levels can be observed after breastfeeding is suspended for 1-2 days, while maintaining adequate dietary supplements to ensure the health of mother and baby.

Once parents discover that their newborns have high jaundice, they should take their babies to the neonatal department or pediatric clinic as soon as possible to see a doctor and determine the cause through scientific examinations. During home care, parents should pay attention to changes in the baby's skin and whites of the eyes, and respond promptly to worsening jaundice to avoid delaying treatment.