Can I get vaccinated for jaundice?

It is very common for newborns to have jaundice because their body functions are not yet perfect and it takes some time to relax after coming out of the mother's womb. Their faces and bodies will look more yellow than ours and look wrinkled. Generally, the jaundice will fade away after a period of time and the baby's skin color will return to normal. Vaccines can protect babies from certain diseases, but can vaccines be given to treat jaundice?

Experts believe that jaundice is generally divided into physiological jaundice and pathological jaundice. As long as it exceeds the scope of physiological jaundice, it is called pathological jaundice.

1. Physiological jaundice

Usually, two days after a child is born, you can see with the naked eye that the skin is a little yellow. The yellowing reaches its peak at 3 to 5 days and will mostly disappear at 7 to 10 days. At this time, the jaundice index (serum bilirubin value) is generally not more than 15 mg/dL, which is within the normal range.

2. Pathological jaundice

There are many causes of pathological jaundice. The criteria for full-term and premature babies are different. Mothers should send their babies to the hospital for observation as long as they find the following conditions:

1. When jaundice is detected in a child within 24 hours of birth, it is called “early jaundice”.

2. The jaundice index rises too high all of a sudden, increasing by more than 5 mg/dL a day. This is a common type of jaundice (the blood types of the mother and baby are incompatible).

3. The jaundice index was too high, at 15 mg/dL.

4. It lasts too long. Generally, physiological jaundice lasts for 7 to 10 days. If it lasts for more than two weeks, you should pay attention.

Jaundice may be caused by antibodies being transferred to the baby through the placenta when the mother is pregnant, which may cause hemolytic problems in the baby (the blood types of the mother and the baby are incompatible). Most mothers with type O blood are more likely to give birth to babies with type A or type B blood because the mother has anti-A and anti-B antibodies in her body. However, experts emphasize that this does not mean that children born to mothers with type O blood will definitely have problems. Children with favism have a lack of red blood enzymes, and their red blood cells are easily destroyed under certain conditions, causing hemolysis. Babies with congenitally poor blood cell structure may also develop hemolytic jaundice.

Children's liver function is not fully developed, and bilirubin is excreted through the liver. If it cannot be metabolized in time, it will cause jaundice. If the baby has liver problems due to infection, or if there are congenital abnormalities in the liver or bile duct, jaundice may also increase.

The normal value of jaundice in children is based on serum bilirubin as a reference indicator. It is normal as long as the level for full-term infants does not exceed 204 μmol/L (12 mg/dl) and the level for premature infants does not exceed 255 μmol/L (15 mg/dl). In addition, children with physiological jaundice do not experience much impact on their appetite and spirit except for yellowing of the skin, and the symptoms will generally disappear automatically within a month. Children with pathological jaundice not only have skin changes, but also usually cry, make a fuss, and refuse to drink milk. In this case, parents must take their children to the hospital for treatment as soon as possible, otherwise it may cause kernicterus, which has very serious consequences.