Neonatal jaundice

Yellowish staining of the skin and whites of the newborn’s eyes (sclerae) by pigment of bile (bilirubin). In newborn babies a degree of jaundice is normal. It is due to the breakdown of red blood cells (which release bilirubin into the blood) and to the immaturity of the newborn’s liver (which cannot effectively metabolize the bilirubin and prepare it for excretion into the urine). Normal neonatal jaundice typically appears between the 2nd and 5th days of

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jaundice of the newborn a type of jaundice often seen in newborn infants around the second day of life, due either to excessive bilirubin produced by the accelerated breakdown of erythrocytes seen in most infants, or to inability of the immature liver to conjugate bilirubin efficiently. Most cases are mild (see physiologic j.); if it is more severe or does not resolve within a few days, the infant may suffer serious damage such as kernicterus. Called also neonatal icterus and icterus neonatorum