Question

A woman of advanced maternal age noticed that her newborn’s legs, hands, and palms turned yellow seven days after delivery, suspecting it might be jaundice. She wants to know the possible symptoms that may occur during the onset of jaundice.

Answer

Jaundice is a common symptom that occurs due to a disorder in bilirubin metabolism, leading to an elevated concentration of serum bilirubin. Since the sclera contains more elastic protein and has a stronger affinity for bilirubin, the yellowing of the sclera in patients with jaundice is usually detected before mucosa and skin. When the total bilirubin concentration in the serum is between 17.1 to 34.2 micromoles/liter, jaundice cannot be observed with the naked eye, at which point it is referred to as concealed jaundice or subclinical jaundice. When the total bilirubin concentration in the blood exceeds 34.2 micromoles/liter, it can be observed clinically