Question
Female, 32 years old, recently gave birth and found that her baby has jaundice. What are the treatment methods for jaundice?
Answer
Newborn jaundice typically has a transcutaneous bilirubin level below 10 (values may vary slightly due to different instruments); if blood is drawn to measure the bilirubin level in the blood, the normal value is usually below 205 umol/l (12 mg/dl). The normal total bilirubin level for a 30-day-old infant ranges from 1.7 to 17.1 umol/l (0.1 to 1.0 mg/dl). Direct bilirubin is between 0 to 6.8 umol/l (0 to 0.4 mg/dl), and indirect bilirubin is between 1.7 to 10.2 umol/l (0.1 to 0.6 mg/dl). Urinalysis is necessary to determine the true bilirubin level, as transcutaneous bilirubin measurement can be affected by the child’s skin color and body fat thickness.