Question
My baby was tested for jaundice five days ago, and the bilirubin level was 118-106. Is this severe?
Answer
Jaundice in children should be paid close attention to. Generally, physiological jaundice subsides within a week. Physiological jaundice usually appears 2-3 days after birth, reaches its peak between 4-6 days, and resolves between 7-10 days. Premature infants may have a longer duration, with only slight loss of appetite and no other clinical symptoms. If jaundice appears within 24 hours after birth and does not subside after 2-3 weeks, or if it continues to deepen or recurs after subsiding, or if it appears one week to several weeks after birth, it is considered pathological jaundice. Recommendations: 1. Blue light therapy 2. Use of enzyme inducers: commonly phenobarbital, dosage: 5-6mg/kg/day 3. Feeding sugar water can speed up the jaundice’s subsidence 4. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment: with effects of clearing heat and dampness, regulating Qi and activating blood, invigorating the spleen and transforming dampness, and promoting bile flow and jaundice reduction.