Biliary atresia is common in children up to 1 week of age.
Biliary atresia is a rare disease of the bile ducts in which full-term infants are born with persistent yellowing of the skin and sclera, white clay-like stools, and strong tea-colored urine, and if jaundice is still present at 2 weeks after birth, and at 3 weeks after birth in preterm infants, they should be promptly examined.
Children with biliary atresia have the best outcome when operated on within 60 days of birth, and liver fibrosis is able to progress rapidly to liver failure if intervention is not performed within 90 days. Therefore, early, rapid diagnosis and prompt surgery are the keys to treating biliary atresia.
If your child has persistent jaundice and abnormal stool color, he or she should be examined and treated as soon as possible.