What is the cause of hemolytic jaundice?

The main cause of neonatal hemolytic jaundice is ABO hemolysis, that is, if the mother has type O blood and the baby's blood type is type A or type B, the baby may suffer from hemolytic jaundice after birth. However, if the mother's blood type is A and the baby's blood type is B or AB, or the mother's blood type is B and the baby's blood type is A or AB, the jaundice will be slightly milder. Hemolytic jaundice requires professional treatment, otherwise the baby is likely to be in danger.

1. Concept

Neonatal hemolytic jaundice is jaundice caused by incompatibility of the baby's blood with the mother's, and is often accompanied by anemia. When a baby develops jaundice, it is important to distinguish whether it is physiological jaundice or pathological jaundice. Once it is confirmed to be neonatal hemolytic jaundice, it needs to be treated promptly to avoid missing the treatment opportunity and causing bad consequences.

1. Causes

1. Neonatal hemolytic jaundice is mainly caused by the mother's production of antibodies against the fetus's blood. During pregnancy, these antibodies enter the fetus through the placenta, destroying the red blood cells in the fetal blood, causing the fetus to be anemic at birth. After birth, jaundice occurs because of excessive bilirubin in the body.

2. The most common cause of neonatal hemolytic jaundice is ABO hemolysis. In other words, if the mother's blood type is O and the baby's blood type is A or B, special attention should be paid, as jaundice will be more serious. If the mother's blood type is A and the baby's blood type is B or AB; or if the mother's blood type is B and the baby's blood type is A or AB, the jaundice will be slightly milder.

2. Symptoms

1. Hemolytic jaundice is caused by the lack of red blood cells or damage to them, which causes the skin surface to appear light lemon yellow and the sclera to appear slightly yellow. During an acute attack, symptoms of fever will appear and the skin and mucous membranes will become noticeably pale.

2. Jaundice appears quickly, occurring within 24 hours after birth and gradually worsening; symptoms often include abdominal distension, abdominal pain, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea or constipation.

3. The color of urine, tears, sweat and feces will change, but saliva generally does not change color.

4. Examination may reveal enlarged liver and spleen, increased serum total bilirubin, increased urobilinogen in urine, hemoglobinuria in acute attacks, and increased hemosiderin in urine in chronic hemolysis.

4. Is neonatal hemolytic jaundice serious?

1. Hemolytic jaundice is very harmful to newborn babies.

2. The earlier jaundice appears and the faster it progresses, the more serious the newborn baby's condition is. When hemolytic jaundice occurs, not only the baby's skin, sclera, etc. will develop jaundice, but also the nuclear nerve cells in the brain may develop jaundice, which is the formation of kernicterus. It may cause lifelong paralysis of the baby, affect the baby's intellectual development, and cause hearing impairment, etc.

3 Therefore, once hemolytic jaundice is found in a newborn, appropriate measures should be taken to treat it in time to avoid serious consequences.

5. Treatment

1. Place the baby in the incubator, remove the clothes and diaper, and cover the eyes with an eye mask. Then use 7 40W blue fluorescent tubes as light sources, place them 33-35cm away from the baby's body surface, and change the body position and lighting area once an hour. However, during the treatment process, attention should be paid to fluid replenishment and liver protection treatment. This method can relieve baby's jaundice and reduce serum bilirubin.

2. Blood transfusion. If the indirect bilirubin in the serum exceeds a certain value, blood transfusion is needed. Blood donors need to undergo blood tests to avoid worsening of their condition after blood transfusion, and relatives should be avoided from donating blood.