What are the sequelae of jaundice in children?

Most newborn babies will have varying degrees of jaundice. Physiological jaundice is not harmful to the baby and does not require special treatment. Pathological jaundice is jaundice that requires intervention and treatment, which may have a certain impact on the baby and even lead to severe neurological sequelae. The sequelae of jaundice are actually twofold:

First, the impact of the primary disease. This is because many diseases can manifest as pathological jaundice, such as neonatal hemolytic disease, G-6-pD, neonatal sepsis, hepatitis syndrome, congenital hypothyroidism, and other rarer inherited metabolic disorders.For such babies, a clear diagnosis and aggressive treatment of the underlying condition are key to reducing adverse clinical outcomes in later stages.

Second, high indirect serum bilirubin levels that are "too high" indirect bilirubin levels (which vary greatly from person to person) may lead to bilirubin brain damage. The warning period of bilirubin brain injury can be characterized by drowsiness, low responsiveness, weak sucking, low muscle tone, and decreased physiological reflexes for about 12 to 24 hours.

The spasmodic phase is characterized by increased muscle tone, angular reflexion, vomiting, convulsions, apnea, fever, etc., which lasts for about 12-48 hours. Mortality is high if left untreated. Babies with bilirubin brain injury will have sequelae such as athetosis, high-frequency hearing impairment, mental retardation, eye movement disorders, tooth enamel dysplasia and cerebral palsy.