Question
After 12 hours of neonatal jaundice light therapy, the treatment is stopped for 12 hours. During the treatment break, it was found that the baby’s skin is more yellow than before treatment. Is this situation normal?
Answer
If neonatal jaundice does not recover after more than a month, it should be suspected whether it is hemolytic jaundice. Hemolytic jaundice may be caused by various hemolytic diseases, including congenital hemolytic anemia (such as thalassemia, hereditary spherocytosis) and acquired hemolytic anemia (such as autoimmune hemolytic anemia, neonatal hemolysis, hemolysis after blood transfusion with different blood types, and sickle cell disease, etc.). The primary step in treating hemolytic jaundice is to treat the primary disease, eliminate the cause, and consider using hormone therapy. If the condition is severe, it is recommended to go to the hospital for systemic treatment.