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    Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Ebook110 pages1 hour

    Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

    By Kenneth Kee

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    About this ebook

    Infant jaundice happens when a baby has a high level of bilirubin in the blood.
    Bilirubin is the yellow substance that the body produces when it replaces old red blood cells.
    The liver helps to break down the substance so it can be eliminated from the body in the stool.
    High levels of bilirubin (serum bilirubin levels from 17-25 mg/dL (294-430 μmol/L) make the baby's skin and whites of the eyes look yellow.
    The medical term for jaundice in babies is infant jaundice
    Jaundice is a frequent and normally harmless disorder in newborn babies that produces yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes - physiological.
    It only becomes harmful when too high bilirubin damages the brain and the hearing organ - pathological.
    It is evaluated that 60% babies develop jaundice, such as 80% babies born prematurely (babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy).
    Only around 5% babies have a blood bilirubin level high enough to require treatment.
    Serious newborn jaundice may happen if the baby has a disorder that raises the number of red blood cells that require to be replaced in the body, such as:
    Abnormal blood cell shapes
    1. Blood type mismatch between the mother and baby
    2. Bleeding underneath the scalp (cephalohematoma) caused by a difficult delivery
    3. Higher levels of red blood cells, which is more frequent in small-for-gestational-age babies and some twins
    4. Infection
    5. Lack (deficiency) of certain important proteins, called enzymes
    Disorders that make it more difficult for the baby's body to eliminate bilirubin may also result in more severe jaundice, such as:
    1. Certain medicines
    2. Infections present at birth, such as rubella, syphilis, and others
    3. Diseases that affect the liver or biliary tract, such as cystic fibrosis or hepatitis
    4. Low oxygen level (hypoxia)
    5. Infections (such as sepsis)
    6. Many different genetic or inherited disorders
    Babies who are born too early (premature) tend more likely to form jaundice than full-term babies.
    Jaundice produces a yellow color of the skin that begins on the face and then spreads down to the chest, belly area, legs, and soles of the feet.
    Other symptoms are:
    1. Dark, yellow urine – Normally colorless
    2. Pale-colored stools
    3. Tiredness and poor appetite
    Hospitals use probes that can evaluate the bilirubin level just by touching the skin.
    High readings require to be confirmed with blood tests
    Treatment is not required most of the time as the symptoms normally pass within 10 to 14 days, even though symptoms can persist longer in a minority of cases.
    Treatment is normally only advised if tests reveal a baby has very high levels of bilirubin in their blood because there is a small risk the bilirubin could pass into the brain and cause brain damage.
    When treatment is required, the type will be dependent on:
    1. The baby's bilirubin level
    2. How fast the level has been rising
    3. Whether the baby was born early (babies born early are more likely to be treated at lower bilirubin levels)
    4. How old the baby is
    5. A baby will require treatment if the bilirubin level is too high or is rising too quickly.
    6. A baby with jaundice requires to be kept well hydrated with breast milk or formula.
    7. Feed the baby often (up to 12 times a day) to encourage frequent bowel movements.
    These help eliminate bilirubin through the stools
    Treatment is by:
    Phototherapy or light therapy- can be done in hospital or at home with eye covering patches and diapers
    Intravenous immune globulin IVIG therapy - mainly for blood incompatibility
    Exchange blood transfusion - a more dangerous procedure for serious cases of infant jaundice
    New treatment consists of inhibition of bilirubin production through obstruction of heme oxygenase.

    TABLE OF CONTENT
    Introduction
    Chapter 1 Infant Jaundice
    Chapter 2 Causes
    Chapter 3 Sympt

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKenneth Kee
    Release dateMay 25, 2017
    ISBN9781370194254
    Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions
    Author

    Kenneth Kee

    Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

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      Book preview

      Infant Jaundice, A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions - Kenneth Kee

      Infant

      Jaundice,

      A

      Simple

      Guide

      To

      The Condition,

      Diagnosis,

      Treatment

      And

      Related Conditions

      By

      Dr Kenneth Kee

      M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

      Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

      Copyright Kenneth Kee 2017 Smashwords Edition

      Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

      Dedication

      This book is dedicated

      To my wife Dorothy

      And my children

      Carolyn, Grace

      And Kelvin

      This book describes Infant Jaundice, Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

      (What You Require to Treat Infant Jaundice)

      This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

      If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

      Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

      Introduction

      I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

      My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

      Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

      I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

      This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

      From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 amazon kindle books and 200 into Smashwords.com eBooks.

      Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

      For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

      The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

      The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

      Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

      As I tried to bring you the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

      Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

      I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

      I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

      I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

      Chapter 1

      Infant jaundice

      What is Infant Jaundice?

      Infant jaundice happens when a baby has a high level of bilirubin in the blood.

      Bilirubin is the yellow substance that the body produces when it replaces old red blood cells.

      The liver helps to break down the substance so it can be eliminated from the body in the stool.

      High levels of bilirubin (serum bilirubin levels from 17-25 mg/dL (294-430 µmol/L) make the baby's skin and whites of the eyes look yellow.

      The medical term for jaundice in babies is infant jaundice

      Jaundice is a frequent and normally harmless disorder in newborn babies that produces yellowing of the skin and the whites of the eyes (physiological jaundice).

      It only becomes harmful when too high bilirubin damages the brain and the hearing organ.

      What are the causes of Infant Jaundice?

      Causes

      Jaundice is one of the most frequent disorders that can affect newborn babies.

      It is evaluated that 60% babies develop jaundice, such as 80% babies born prematurely (babies born before the 37th week of pregnancy).

      Only around 5% babies have a blood bilirubin level high enough to require treatment.

      For reasons that are not known, breastfeeding a baby raises the risk of them forming jaundice, which can often persist for a month or longer.

      In most cases, the benefits of breastfeeding far outweigh any risks linked with jaundice.

      A baby's bilirubin level is normally a bit higher after birth.

      When the baby is growing in the mother's womb, the placenta eliminates bilirubin from the baby's body.

      The placenta is the organ that grows during pregnancy to feed the baby.

      After birth, the baby's liver begins doing this job.

      It may take some time for the baby’s liver to be able to do this efficiently.

      Most newborns have some yellowing of the skin, or jaundice.

      This is called physiological jaundice.

      It is often most noticeable when the baby is 2 - 4 days old.

      Most of the time it does not cause problems and goes away within 2 weeks.

      Two types of jaundice may happen in newborns

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