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Jaundice


Jaundice is the yellowish discolouration of the skin due to the presence of bilirubin, most commonly seen in infants. 


Bilirubin is a yellow compound that occurs in the normal catabolic pathway that breaks down haem in vertebrates, which is a necessary process in the body’s clearance of waste products that arise from the destruction of aged or abnormal red blood cells. Bilirubin in the blood is normally removed by the liver. However, because the livers of some infants are not yet fully developed, bilirubin is not broken down, resulting in jaundice. Consequently, newborns that are born prematurely have greater incidences of jaundice. 


Although generally harmless, extremely high levels of bilirubin can be harmful to the newborn. When bilirubin levels are high, there is a risk of bilirubin entering the brain, resulting in acute bilirubin encephalopathy. As bilirubin is toxic to brain cells, there is a possibility of permanent brain damage in the infant, otherwise known as kernicterus. 





Severe cases of jaundice are treated using phototherapy.


Phototherapy is treatment with a special type of light which lowers the bilirubin levels through a process called photo-oxidation. Photo-oxidation adds oxygen to bilirubin so it dissolves easily in water and is more easily broken down by the baby’s liver.

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