A. Can jaundice cause a baby to die? Many people believe that jaundice occurs in every baby after birth and that it is the most common thing for babies and cannot lead to their death. Indeed, most babies will develop physiological jaundice early after birth due to the characteristics of bilirubin metabolism during the neonatal period, and the adverse effects of physiological jaundice on babies are minimal and will not lead to death. However, it is worth paying attention to the fact that there are some babies with jaundice due to a variety of pathological factors, pathological jaundice, jaundice is only the tip of the iceberg in the clinical manifestations of the disease, some pathological jaundice due to its serious primary diseases such as neonatal sepsis or intracranial hemorrhage, may endanger the baby’s life, severe jaundice itself may also inhibit the baby’s breathing, therefore, in a few cases, jaundice may lead to baby’s death, which is by no means alarming. Can jaundice cause brain damage in babies? In the past, it was believed that severe pathological jaundice, when serum bilirubin is mainly elevated by indirect bilirubin, may lead to bilirubin encephalopathy, which refers to excessive indirect bilirubin crossing the blood-brain barrier, resulting in central nervous system dysfunction, which can cause permanent brain damage including eye movement disorders, hearing impairment, uncoordinated movement, cerebral palsy, mental retardation, etc. if no active treatment intervention is given. Recent studies have found that bilirubin-induced neurological dysfunction syndrome (BIND for short) may also occur in newborns when their serum indirect bilirubin values do not reach levels that can cause bilirubin encephalopathy or when the jaundice does not subside, which can lead to a range of clinical manifestations in infancy and childhood that are different from bilirubin encephalopathy, such as lethargy, unresponsiveness, apnea, learning disabilities, autism, hyperactivity, auditory desynchronization, and visual focus disorder. The study of BIND suggests that all babies with jaundice should be followed up and monitored for changes in jaundice, so that abnormalities can be detected early and appropriate interventions can be given. Does jaundice go away on its own? I often hear parents say that jaundice in children will go away on its own, so don’t worry about it. Physiological jaundice is caused by the characteristics of bilirubin metabolism during the neonatal period. As the baby’s age increases and the amount of milk consumed increases, the liver’s ability to process bilirubin is strengthened, and no special treatment is needed. However, pathological jaundice, such as hemolytic disease of the mother and child, neonatal sepsis, cytomegalovirus infection, biliary development malformation, etc., if the primary disease is not actively dealt with, the jaundice is likely to become more and more severe or to be prolonged, for this type of jaundice, we cannot wait for it to subside on its own, but need to give anti-yellowing treatment. Fourth, jaundice suddenly worsens or reappears after subsiding, what is going on? In some babies, the jaundice is not heavy, but if the jaundice suddenly deepens within a short period of time; in others, the jaundice reappears after the jaundice has subsided, both of these cases suggest that the baby has pathological jaundice, and it is necessary to take the baby to the hospital immediately to give appropriate treatment for jaundice and the original disease. 5. Can sunbathing help my baby’s yellowing? Some parents will hold their babies in the sun, thinking that sun exposure will help their babies’ yellowing. Of course, direct sunlight on the baby’s skin has a certain effect on the yellowing, but a large area of bare skin for sunbathing may lead to ultraviolet burns on the baby’s skin and cold and cold, and the effect of yellowing is limited, so sunbathing is not recommended to reduce yellowing. For babies, the most effective, safest and most economical way to treat yellowing is blue light phototherapy to reduce yellowing, and babies with severe jaundice also need blood exchange therapy to help them quickly reduce yellowing. Is breastfeeding related to baby jaundice? Breastfeeding is related to jaundice in two ways: (1) jaundice caused by insufficient breastfeeding: often occurs within 1 week after birth, due to insufficient breastfeeding and delayed defecation of the baby, increasing the amount of breastfeeding and the number of feedings can ease the situation; (2) breast milk jaundice: due to high levels of beta-glucuronidase contained in breast milk. Expressed as breastfed babies still have jaundice within 3 months after birth, generally do not require special treatment, jaundice can be significantly reduced after complete cessation of breastfeeding for 2-3 days, but breast milk jaundice is an exclusive diagnosis, its diagnosis needs to exclude other pathological factors, breast milk jaundice may lead to a higher degree of jaundice, also need to closely monitor the level of jaundice, if necessary, perform anti-yellowing treatment. How can I tell if my baby’s jaundice is pathological at home? Babies delivered by vaginal delivery are often discharged home from the obstetrics department 2-3 days after birth, and most babies delivered by cesarean section are also discharged home 4-5 days after birth, and the baby may not be jaundiced or may have just developed jaundice when he/she comes home. or faint, drowsiness, restlessness, reduced or no milk intake, pale lips, frequent vomiting, abdominal distention, bleeding spots on the skin, convulsions, stools turning gray or white, jaundice that does not subside, all of the above indicate pathological jaundice, and the baby needs to be taken to the hospital immediately for consultation and treatment.