Question

Parents inquire about the causes of neonatal jaundice.

Answer

Generally speaking, 60% of full-term infants and 80% of premature infants may develop visible jaundice within the first week after birth. Baby jaundice is related to the baby’s characteristics of bilirubin metabolism, including relatively high production of bilirubin, insufficient uptake by liver cells, poor binding ability of serum albumin to bilirubin, defective excretion of bilirubin, and increased enterohepatic circulation.