#Pathological jaundice in newborn skin

8, 11, 12, 13, 14 In physiological jaundice, it is only the unconjugated bilirubin levels that are raised, because of immaturity of the liver in the absence of any other illness. 4, 5, 6, 8 The main risk factors identified for neonatal jaundice include prematurity and neonatal sepsis. 10 Neonatal jaundice is very common and is present in 60% of term babies and up to 80% of premature babies. found that the clinical diagnosis of neonatal jaundice is вЂneither reliable nor accurateвЂ™. 7, 8, 9 Kramer described the difficulty of clinically diagnosing neonatal jaundice in darker pigmented neonates. 3, 4, 5, 6 At bilirubin levels of between 85 Вµmol/L and 120 Вµmol/L, neonatal jaundice can be diagnosed clinically. 4 This imbalance is mainly because of the immature liver of the neonate and the rapid breakdown of red blood cells, which may be multifactorial. The mechanism of neonatal jaundice is the imbalance between bilirubin production and conjugation, which results in increased bilirubin levels. In the gut it is further metabolised to other gall pigments and then excreted in the faeces. In this form, it is known as conjugated bilirubin, which is then secreted into the gall. 3 As bilirubin is not water soluble, it is transferred via the bloodstream from the spleen to the liver, bound to the plasma protein albumin.

Bilirubin is mainly formed when the haem component of red blood cells are broken down in the spleen to biliverdin and then unconjugated bilirubin. 1, 2 Jaundice itself is not a disease but rather a symptom or sign of a disease.

#Pathological jaundice in newborn skin

The term вЂjaundiceвЂ™ is used to describe the yellow-orange discoloration of the skin and sclera because of excessive bilirubin in the skin and mucous membranes.