CIH: Menu for patients
Monday 26 February 2024
We need to pay attention to health care, especially for sick people; protecting and restoring health is very necessary. For patients, in addition to spending more time resting, nutrition also...
Thursday 25 January 2024
Announcement of Public Holidays - New Year 2024
Dear valued patients, City International Hospital would like to announce the hospital opening hours during Public Holidays – New Year 2024 (Giap Thin Tet) as below:
Monday 22 January 2024
Staying healthy brings more happiness than anything else during TET holidays?
The Ministry of Health’s Department of Preventive Medicine warned that the coming Lunar New Year (Tet) holidays and spring festive season, when trading and travel...
Tuesday 26 December 2023
2024 New Year's Holiday Announcement
In observance of New Year’s Day, we would like to thank you for your support and cooperation in the year 2024 and look forward to receiving your continuing assistance...
Wednesday 29 November 2023
The journey of two hospitals in Vietnam first to qualify for coveted AACI accreditation
Nearly 2 years attentively nurturing & more than 6 months intensively executing, to be proudly become the two hospitals firstly in Vietnam certified for American...

Overview

  • Infant jaundice is yellow discoloration of a newborn baby's skin and eyes. Infant jaundice occurs because the baby's blood contains an excess of bilirubin (bil-ih-ROO-bin), a yellow pigment of red blood cells.
  • Infant jaundice is a common condition, particularly in babies born before 38 weeks' gestation (preterm babies) and some breast-fed babies. Infant jaundice usually occurs because a baby's liver isn't mature enough to get rid of bilirubin in the bloodstream. In some babies, an underlying disease may cause infant jaundice.
  • Most infants born between 35 weeks' gestation and full term need no treatment for jaundice. Rarely, an unusually high blood level of bilirubin can place a newborn at risk of brain damage, particularly in the presence of certain risk factors for severe jaundice.

Symptoms

  • Yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes — the main sign of infant jaundice — usually appears between the second and fourth day after birth.
  • To check for infant jaundice, press gently on your baby's forehead or nose. If the skin looks yellow where you pressed, it's likely your baby has mild jaundice. If your baby doesn't have jaundice, the skin color should simply look slightly lighter than its normal color for a moment.
  • Examine your baby in good lighting conditions, preferably in natural daylight.

When to see a doctor

  • Most hospitals have a policy of examining babies for jaundice before discharge. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that newborns be examined for jaundice during routine medical checks and at least every eight to 12 hours while in the hospital.
  • Your baby should be examined for jaundice between the third and seventh day after birth, when bilirubin levels usually peak. If your baby is discharged earlier than 72 hours after birth, make a follow-up appointment to look for jaundice within two days of discharge.

The following signs or symptoms may indicate severe jaundice or complications from excess bilirubin. Call your doctor if:

  • Your baby's skin becomes more yellow
  • The skin on your baby's the abdomen, arms or legs looks yellow
  • The whites of your baby's eyes look yellow
  • Your baby seems listless or sick or is difficult to awaken
  • Your baby isn't gaining weight or is feeding poorly
  • Your baby makes high-pitched cries
  • Your baby develops any other signs or symptoms that concern you

Nguyen Bach Hue, MD - Head of Pediatrics and Neonatal Intensive Care


Causes

  • Excess bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) is the main cause of jaundice. Bilirubin, which is responsible for the yellow color of jaundice, is a normal part of the pigment released from the breakdown of "used" red blood cells.
  • Newborns produce more bilirubin than adults do because of greater production and faster breakdown of red blood cells in the first few days of life. Normally, the liver filters bilirubin from the bloodstream and releases it into the intestinal tract. A newborn's immature liver often can't remove bilirubin quickly enough, causing an excess of bilirubin. Jaundice due to these normal newborn conditions is called physiologic jaundice, and it typically appears on the second or third day of life.

Other causes

An underlying disorder may cause infant jaundice. In these cases, jaundice often appears much earlier or much later than does the more common form of infant jaundice. Diseases or conditions that can cause jaundice include:

  • Internal bleeding (hemorrhage)
  • An infection in your baby's blood (sepsis)
  • Other viral or bacterial infections
  • An incompatibility between the mother's blood and the baby's blood
  • A liver malfunction
  • An enzyme deficiency
  • An abnormality of your baby's red blood cells that causes them to break down rapidly

Risk factors

Major risk factors for jaundice, particularly severe jaundice that can cause complications, include:

  • Premature birth. A baby born before 38 weeks of gestation may not be able to process bilirubin as quickly as full-term babies do. Premature babies also may feed less and have fewer bowel movements, resulting in less bilirubin eliminated through stool.
  • Significant bruising during birth. Newborns who become bruised during delivery gets bruises from the delivery may have higher levels of bilirubin from the breakdown of more red blood cells.
  • Blood type. If the mother's blood type is different from her baby's, the baby may have received antibodies through the placenta that cause abnormally rapid breakdown of red blood cells.
  • Breast-feeding. Breast-fed babies, particularly those who have difficulty nursing or getting enough nutrition from breast-feeding, are at higher risk of jaundice.
  • Dehydration or a low caloric intake may contribute to the onset of jaundice. However, because of the benefits of breast-feeding, experts still recommend it. It's important to make sure your baby gets enough to eat and is adequately hydrated.

Complications

High levels of bilirubin that cause severe jaundice can result in serious complications if not treated.

Signs of acute bilirubin encephalopathy in a baby with jaundice include:

  • Listlessness
  • Difficulty waking
  • High-pitched crying
  • Poor sucking or feeding
  • Backward arching of the neck and body
  • Fever
  • Kernicterus
  • Kernicterus is the syndrome that occurs if acute bilirubin encephalopathy causes permanent damage to the brain.

Kernicterus may result in:

  • Involuntary and uncontrolled movements (athetoid cerebral palsy)
  • Permanent upward gaze
  • Hearing loss
  • Improper development of tooth enamel

Prevention

  • The best preventive of infant jaundice is adequate feeding. Breast-fed infants should have eight to 12 feedings a day for the first several days of life. Formula-fed infants usually should have 1 to 2 ounces (about 30 to 60 milliliters) of formula every two to three hours for the first week.

For more information about medical services provided,  please contact:

City International Hospital

  • Operator: (8428) 6280 3333, ext. 8035 or 8036
  • Address: No. 3, 17A Street, Binh Tri Dong B Ward, Binh Tan Dist. (Next to AEON Mall Binh Tan). Ho Chi Minh City.
  • Website: https://cih.com.vn/en/
  • Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.