DOES JAUNDICE / HIGH BILIRUBIN COUNT CAUSE KERNICTERUS ?
Many babies have some jaundice. When they are a few days old, their skin slowly begins to turn yellow. The yellow color comes from the color of bilirubin. When red blood cells die, they break down and bilirubin is left. It is normal for some of the red blood cells to die everyday. The red blood cells break down and make bilirubin. In newborns, the liver may not be developed enough to get rid of so much bilirubin at once. So, if too many red blood cells die at the same time, the baby can become very yellow or may even look orange. The yellow color does not hurt the baby’s skin, but the bilirubin goes to the brain as well as to the skin. Untreated bilirubin / jaundice can lead to kernicterus resulting in severe brain damage,athetoid cerebral palsy, hypoplasia, hearing loss, strabismus,and loss of vision or eyesight. Causes of kernicterus are few, but the prevention options are innumerable. JAUNDICE AND KERNICTERUS No baby should develop kernicterus resulting brain damage or cerebral pals
