Question
What is the jaundice index for newborns? What are the index ranges for physiological and pathological jaundice? And what is the highest possible jaundice index for newborns?
Answer
According to clinical diagnosis, full-term infants have a serum total bilirubin level below 205.2μmol/L (12mg/dl), and premature infants have a level below 256.5μmol/L (15mg/dl), which is considered hyperbilirubinemia. Physiological jaundice generally appears 2 to 3 days after birth and subsides within 7 to 14 days. Pathological jaundice may appear soon after birth or 5 days later, usually requiring phototherapy.