Question
12-month-old female illness/symptoms: The newborn baby was born 6 days ago but was found to have a total bilirubin level of 426.6 umol/L. The indirect bilirubin level reached 395.1. Is this very dangerous? Can it be determined whether it is biological jaundice or pathological jaundice based on this result? The glucose level is only 3.0, can malnutrition lead to such a high total bilirubin level?
Answer
Under normal circumstances, neonatal jaundice can be physiological and may resolve on its own after a few days. If it persists and worsens, treatment or phototherapy may be considered. Malnutrition typically does not cause high bilirubin levels, and further tests for hemolytic factors are needed.