Question
A nine-day-old premature male infant was found to have elevated direct bilirubin levels during a hospital examination. The family is seeking an explanation for the cause. They are concerned about the impact on the baby’s health and what treatment measures should be taken.
Answer
Dear family, your child may be experiencing physiological jaundice. Neonatal jaundice is due to abnormal bilirubin metabolism during the neonatal period, leading to elevated bilirubin levels in the blood. This condition is divided into physiological and pathological types. Physiological jaundice usually appears 2 to 3 days after birth, reaches its peak between 4 to 6 days, and naturally resolves between 7 to 10 days, but premature babies may experience it for a longer duration. Apart from mild loss of appetite, there are no other obvious symptoms. If jaundice appears within 24 hours after birth, or persists for more than 2 to 3 weeks, or even deepens or recurs, it may be pathological jaundice. For physiological jaundice, usually no…