Question
My baby is 45 days old and their jaundice index is still at 80. How long will it take for it to completely heal, and can vaccinations be administered?
Answer
Newborn jaundice refers to a group of newborn diseases characterized by elevated unconjugated bilirubin levels. The harmfulness of newborn serum bilirubin levels to individuals is influenced by various factors, including their physical condition and environment. Firstly, under certain circumstances, even levels below the current physiological jaundice standard can potentially lead to bilirubin encephalopathy. Conversely, healthy full-term infants with bilirubin levels above the physiological jaundice level may not necessarily cause pathological damage. Secondly, the development of the blood-brain barrier in newborns and bilirubin levels are a dynamic developmental process. The younger the gestational age and postnatal age, and the lower the birth weight, the greater the risk of brain damage in newborns when serum bilirubin exceeds a certain limit. Therefore, a fixed threshold cannot be used as a standard for intervention in newborn jaundice. The standard for intervening in newborn jaundice should be a set of dynamic curves that vary with gestational age, postnatal age, and birth weight. The intervention plan for newborn jaundice should be based on medical history, course of illness, physical examination, and a weighing of benefits and risks. Recommended intervention standards for newborn jaundice suitable for our national conditions are shown in Tables 1 and 2, and the following explanations are provided.
- Before using the recommended plan, first assess high-risk factors for bilirubin encephalopathy. Newborns are prone to bilirubin encephalopathy under certain pathological conditions, such as neonatal hemolytic disease, asphyxia, hypoxia, acidosis (especially hypercapnia), sepsis, fever, hypothermia, hypoproteinemia, and hypoglycemia. If any of these high-risk factors are present,