Question
What are the specific clinical manifestations of neonatal jaundice? Does it mean there is no jaundice if the child’s eyes do not appear yellow?
Answer
Neonatal jaundice, particularly pathological jaundice, may manifest in several features: the onset of jaundice occurs earlier than 24 hours after birth; the progression of jaundice is rapid; the duration of jaundice exceeds 15 days; and the recurrence of jaundice after it has subsided. Generally speaking, if a newborn’s skin still shows jaundice after 15 days of birth, the possibility of pathological jaundice should be considered, regardless of whether the eyes appear yellow. If the eyes also turn yellow, it indicates that the jaundice has reached at least a moderate level. Additionally, ABO incompatibility hemolytic disease can occur only when the mother’s blood type is O and the newborn’s blood type is not O, but not all such cases lead to hemolysis.