Question
What is the cause of a high jaundice index in newborns?
Answer
Physiological jaundice appears 2-3 days after birth, reaches its peak between 4-6 days, and subsides between 7-10 days. Premature infants may experience it for a longer duration. Besides slight loss of appetite, there are no other clinical symptoms. If jaundice occurs within 24 hours after birth and does not fade within 2-3 weeks, or even recurs after subsiding, or if it only starts to occur within one week to several weeks after birth, these are considered pathological jaundice. Treatment methods for neonatal jaundice include:
- Blue light therapy
- Enzyme inducers: commonly phenobarbital, dosage of 5-6 mg/kg/day. Phototherapy can heal on its own, and increasing sugar water intake can accelerate the fading of jaundice. In the absence of other clinical symptoms, it can be observed temporarily for a period of time.