Neonatal jaundice

Neonatal jaundice is yellowing of a newborn’s skin or eyes caused by elevated bilirubin in the blood. It is common in the first days of life, but severe bilirubin accumulation can injure the brain.

Bilirubin metabolism: The processes that produce, transport, transform, and eliminate bilirubin from the body. Newborn jaundice develops when bilirubin production exceeds the liver’s capacity to clear it.
Transcutaneous bilirubinometry: A noninvasive method that estimates bilirubin through the skin using reflected light. It provides a quick screening estimate without drawing blood.
Unconjugated bilirubin: Bilirubin that has not yet been processed by the liver into a water-soluble form. This is the form that can accumulate in newborn blood and enter the brain.
Breast milk jaundice: Prolonged unconjugated jaundice in a thriving breastfed infant, often persisting after the first week. Unlike early intake-related jaundice, it can occur despite effective breastfeeding and adequate growth.
Acute bilirubin encephalopathy: Early neurologic dysfunction from bilirubin toxicity, which can progress from lethargy to abnormal tone and seizures. Recognizing this progression matters when bilirubin is dangerously high.
Physiologic jaundice: A common, temporary rise in bilirubin during the first days after birth. It arises from newborn red-cell turnover and immature bilirubin processing.
Serum bilirubin test: A blood test measuring bilirubin concentration, often separated into total and direct fractions. Treatment thresholds are based on measured bilirubin interpreted alongside the newborn’s age.
Conjugated bilirubin: Bilirubin chemically modified in the liver to become more water-soluble and easier to excrete. An elevated conjugated fraction suggests a different problem from typical newborn jaundice.
Cholestasis: Impaired formation or flow of bile that causes conjugated bilirubin and other substances to accumulate. Pale stools or direct hyperbilirubinemia point away from routine physiologic jaundice.
Auditory neuropathy spectrum disorder: A hearing disorder in which sound signals are poorly transmitted from the inner ear to the brain. Bilirubin toxicity can damage auditory pathways, sometimes without obvious motor injury.

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