How to tell if jaundice has reached the brain?

Neonatal jaundice is a relatively common symptom. Neonatal jaundice is divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. Once pathological jaundice occurs, it is very harmful to the child. If it is not treated well or the treatment is delayed, jaundice may enter the brain. At this time, the baby will often become drowsy, refuse to eat, have hypotonia, etc., which is particularly harmful to the child.

How to tell if jaundice has reached the brain?

From the observation of newborn symptoms, if jaundice enters the brain, the newborn will show inhibitory symptoms such as drowsiness, refusal to feed, hypotonia, weakened or disappeared hugging reflex, and may also show symptoms such as apnea and bradycardia.

Judging from the bilirubin concentration, if the bilirubin of a full-term newborn is greater than 342Vmol/L and the bilirubin of a premature infant is greater than 256.5Vmol/L, there is a high probability of cerebral jaundice, which should be taken seriously.

MRI examination can be used to check whether jaundice has entered the brain. The results of MRI examination can be used to basically confirm whether bilirubin has entered the brain based on the infant's own symptoms.

What are the symptoms of jaundice in the brain

Jaundice entering the brain is mainly divided into four stages, each with different symptoms:

During the warning period of bilirubin entering the brain, symptoms such as drowsiness, weakened sucking reflex, mental depression, vomiting, and hypotonia appear. Most jaundice rapidly and significantly deepens, and the liver, spleen, and heart are enlarged, accompanied by edema or anemia.

The spasm period when bilirubin enters the brain usually occurs 3 to 5 days after birth. Mild cases may cause staring, which lasts for a very short time. In severe cases, vomiting, drowsiness, muscle rigidity, opisthotonos, convulsions, myoclonic seizures and breath-holding cyanosis may occur. About 80% are accompanied by fever;

The recovery period of bilirubin entering the brain mostly occurs 7 to 8 days after birth, when the above symptoms gradually disappear and the condition recovers; the sequelae period of bilirubin entering the brain mostly occurs 2 months after birth or later. If the condition is not alleviated, progressive progression may lead to persistent extrapyramidal symptoms such as athetosis, chorea, increased muscle tone, etc. In addition, eye movement disorders, hearing disorders, intellectual disabilities, etc. may also occur.

The probability of bilirubin entering the brain is more than 300

Generally speaking, when the bilirubin level of a full-term newborn is greater than 342Vmol/L, and when the bilirubin level of a premature baby is greater than 256.5Vmol/L, bilirubin will enter the brain. Therefore, if the bilirubin level of a full-term newborn is lower than 342Vmol/L, the chance of it entering the brain is low. If it is a premature baby, the chance of it entering the brain is higher. If the bilirubin level of a newborn is higher than 342Vmol/, the chance of the virus entering the brain is relatively high.