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Neonatal jaundice is one of commonest conditions requiring medical attention in newborn babies. Neonatal jaundice is the yellowish colouration of skin and the sclerae of the eye.
Risk factors
The risk of developing significant neonatal jaundice is increased in:
Low birth weight, premature and small for date babies
Breast-fed babies
Infants of mothers who have diabetes
Male infants
East Asians
People living at high altitudes
Causes
Jaundice in neonates is caused by a raised level of bilirubin in circulating blood, a condition known as hyperbilirubinaemia.
Infants have excess red blood cells in their blood. It is a natural process for the baby's body to breakdown and gets rid of these excess red blood cells, forming a large amount of bilirubin. It is this bilirubin that causes the skin to take on a yellowish color.
A newborn's liver is immature and cannot process bilirubin as quickly as he will be able to when he gets older. This slow processing of bilirubin has nothing to do with liver disease. This means that the baby's liver is not as fully developed as it will be and thus there is some delay in eliminating the bilirubin.
Conditions that increase the number of red blood cells that need to be broken down and can cause more severe newborn jaundice:
Abnormal blood cell shapes
Blood type mismatch between the mother and the baby
Bleeding underneath the scalp (cephalohematoma) caused by a difficult delivery
Higher levels of red blood cells, which is more common in small-for-gestational-age babies and some twins
Infection
Lack (deficiency) of certain important enzymes
Conditions that make it harder for the baby's body to remove bilirubin may also lead to more severe jaundice:
Certain medications
Congenital infections, such as rubella, syphilis, and others
Diseases that affect the liver or biliary tract, such as cystic fibrosis or hepatitis
Hypoxia
Infections (such as sepsis)
Many different genetic or inherited disorders
Physiological Jaundice: Most babies with jaundice have physiologic jaundice. This is the type of jaundice that is caused because of the natural process of breaking down red blood cells.
Symptoms
Neonatal jaundice first becomes visible on the face and forehead as they appear blanced. Jaundice then gradually becomes visible on the trunk and extremities.
In most infants, yellow colour is the only finding on physical examination. More intense jaundice may be associated with drowsiness.
Neurological signs, eg changes in muscle tone, seizures or altered crying, require immediate attention to avoid kernicterus.
Hepatosplenomegaly, petechiae and microcephaly are associated with haemolytic anaemia, sepsis, and congenital infections.
Hepatitis (e.g. congenital rubella, CMV, toxoplasmosis) and biliary atresia cause a raised conjugated bilirubin and have a marked jaundice and pale stools and dark urine, usually presenting in the 3rd week of life.
Investigations and Diagnosis
Usually, a total serum bilirubin level is the only investigation required in a moderately jaundiced infant presenting on the 2nd or 3rd day of life and is otherwise well.
Further investigation is essential for any baby who is also unwell, presents in the first 24 hours or has prolonged (after 10 days) jaundice.
Serum bilirubin: total, conjugated, unconjugated.
Liver function tests: hepatitis, cholestatic disease.
Infection screen (must be excluded in any baby that is unwell or presents in the first 24 hours or after day 3): toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex (TORCH) congenital infection screen, surface swabs including umbilicus, throat swabs, urine culture, blood culture, lumbar puncture, chest X-ray.
Haemolysis:
Blood type and Rh determination in mother and infant
Direct Coombs' testing in the infant
Haemoglobin and haematocrit values
Peripheral blood film for erythrocyte morphology
Red cell enzyme assays: G6PD deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency
Reducing substance in urine: screening test for galactosaemia (provided the infant has received sufficient quantities of milk).
Thyroid function tests.
Ultrasound, hepatobiliary imino-diacetic acid (HIDA) radionuclide scan, liver biopsy and laparotomy may be required for cholestatic jaundice in the differentiation between hepatitis and biliary atresia.
Complications
Kernicterus
Role of Homeopathy
In short, we boost the body immunity to fight with harmful agents. It is called as 'constitutional approach of homeopathy'.
With this, doctors can also restore the immunity and protect the healthy cell destruction, (auto-immune disease), which is the main cause of disease in early cases. Homeopathy removes the illness by erasing the disease condition from its roots.
He then selects the best possible individual remedy as per above criteria of the patient. This remedy depends upon overall personality of patient.
Constitutional medicines detoxify the body; and also increase immunity of body. Homeopathic medicines don't kill the virus or bacteria, but they excite natural curative power of body to kill bacteria or virus which is very natural, safe and correct approach.
We can also cure the chronic complaints with the help of constitutional treatment.
We can reduce severity, duration and frequency of attack very nicely.
Homeopathic medicines also act better in those people who already used to take numbers of allopathic medicines for pain.
Also, homeopathic medicines are non-toxic and non-habit forming, thus person can use it for his life.
-
Basil Wellness
Understanding Your Health
http://basilwellness.com/
Risk factors
The risk of developing significant neonatal jaundice is increased in:
Low birth weight, premature and small for date babies
Breast-fed babies
Infants of mothers who have diabetes
Male infants
East Asians
People living at high altitudes
Causes
Jaundice in neonates is caused by a raised level of bilirubin in circulating blood, a condition known as hyperbilirubinaemia.
Infants have excess red blood cells in their blood. It is a natural process for the baby's body to breakdown and gets rid of these excess red blood cells, forming a large amount of bilirubin. It is this bilirubin that causes the skin to take on a yellowish color.
A newborn's liver is immature and cannot process bilirubin as quickly as he will be able to when he gets older. This slow processing of bilirubin has nothing to do with liver disease. This means that the baby's liver is not as fully developed as it will be and thus there is some delay in eliminating the bilirubin.
Conditions that increase the number of red blood cells that need to be broken down and can cause more severe newborn jaundice:
Abnormal blood cell shapes
Blood type mismatch between the mother and the baby
Bleeding underneath the scalp (cephalohematoma) caused by a difficult delivery
Higher levels of red blood cells, which is more common in small-for-gestational-age babies and some twins
Infection
Lack (deficiency) of certain important enzymes
Conditions that make it harder for the baby's body to remove bilirubin may also lead to more severe jaundice:
Certain medications
Congenital infections, such as rubella, syphilis, and others
Diseases that affect the liver or biliary tract, such as cystic fibrosis or hepatitis
Hypoxia
Infections (such as sepsis)
Many different genetic or inherited disorders
Physiological Jaundice: Most babies with jaundice have physiologic jaundice. This is the type of jaundice that is caused because of the natural process of breaking down red blood cells.
Symptoms
Neonatal jaundice first becomes visible on the face and forehead as they appear blanced. Jaundice then gradually becomes visible on the trunk and extremities.
In most infants, yellow colour is the only finding on physical examination. More intense jaundice may be associated with drowsiness.
Neurological signs, eg changes in muscle tone, seizures or altered crying, require immediate attention to avoid kernicterus.
Hepatosplenomegaly, petechiae and microcephaly are associated with haemolytic anaemia, sepsis, and congenital infections.
Hepatitis (e.g. congenital rubella, CMV, toxoplasmosis) and biliary atresia cause a raised conjugated bilirubin and have a marked jaundice and pale stools and dark urine, usually presenting in the 3rd week of life.
Investigations and Diagnosis
Usually, a total serum bilirubin level is the only investigation required in a moderately jaundiced infant presenting on the 2nd or 3rd day of life and is otherwise well.
Further investigation is essential for any baby who is also unwell, presents in the first 24 hours or has prolonged (after 10 days) jaundice.
Serum bilirubin: total, conjugated, unconjugated.
Liver function tests: hepatitis, cholestatic disease.
Infection screen (must be excluded in any baby that is unwell or presents in the first 24 hours or after day 3): toxoplasmosis, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex (TORCH) congenital infection screen, surface swabs including umbilicus, throat swabs, urine culture, blood culture, lumbar puncture, chest X-ray.
Haemolysis:
Blood type and Rh determination in mother and infant
Direct Coombs' testing in the infant
Haemoglobin and haematocrit values
Peripheral blood film for erythrocyte morphology
Red cell enzyme assays: G6PD deficiency, pyruvate kinase deficiency
Reducing substance in urine: screening test for galactosaemia (provided the infant has received sufficient quantities of milk).
Thyroid function tests.
Ultrasound, hepatobiliary imino-diacetic acid (HIDA) radionuclide scan, liver biopsy and laparotomy may be required for cholestatic jaundice in the differentiation between hepatitis and biliary atresia.
Complications
Kernicterus
Role of Homeopathy
In short, we boost the body immunity to fight with harmful agents. It is called as 'constitutional approach of homeopathy'.
With this, doctors can also restore the immunity and protect the healthy cell destruction, (auto-immune disease), which is the main cause of disease in early cases. Homeopathy removes the illness by erasing the disease condition from its roots.
He then selects the best possible individual remedy as per above criteria of the patient. This remedy depends upon overall personality of patient.
Constitutional medicines detoxify the body; and also increase immunity of body. Homeopathic medicines don't kill the virus or bacteria, but they excite natural curative power of body to kill bacteria or virus which is very natural, safe and correct approach.
We can also cure the chronic complaints with the help of constitutional treatment.
We can reduce severity, duration and frequency of attack very nicely.
Homeopathic medicines also act better in those people who already used to take numbers of allopathic medicines for pain.
Also, homeopathic medicines are non-toxic and non-habit forming, thus person can use it for his life.
-
Basil Wellness
Understanding Your Health
http://basilwellness.com/
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