A medical practitioner at the Police Hospital, Dr. Edward Akosah Danso, has emphasised that while neonatal jaundice is the leading cause of all paediatric admissions and potentially dangerous, it is entirely preventable when early intervention and proper treatment are administered.
Speaking on Health Focus on GhanaWeb TV, he stated that six out of ten babies born full-term will develop the condition.
"Neonatal jaundice is the most common form of neonatal admissions. Six out of ten babies born at full term will have jaundice, and 8 out of 10 babies born prematurely will have jaundice. It is a condition that takes babies to the hospital. It can cause brain damage; it can cause death. The condition is totally preventable. It is something that can cause brain damage and death. It is common, dangerous, but preventable," he explained.
He stated that neonatal jaundice could either be pathological or physiological.
"We have red blood cells that are broken down to form bilirubin. The liver processes the bilirubin for excretion, and it is the bilirubin that causes the jaundice. So, a high bilirubin level will give you jaundice. The liver process, if for it to be excreted, in neonates, the activity of the liver enzymes is not as mature as the adults. So they can't convert the bilirubin.”
He added "So, because babies are inherently unable to process the bilirubin into an easily excretable form. It is easily built up and causes jaundice. We can classify that as physiological. Essentially, there is nothing wrong with the baby. The baby is fine; we classify that as physiological jaundice because there is nothing wrong with the baby; the system is now developing,” he stated.
He continued, "But then, when there are other causes, let's say blood group incompatibility, the mother is rhesus negative, and the child is positive, more or less the antibodies are fighting each other, causing the red blood cells to break down faster. Already, the baby can't excrete, and you are adding more."
He stressed that both types of jaundice require aggressive treatment to prevent brain damage.
"The treatment is essentially the same. It is usually prudent to give them the same level of attention. Regardless of the pathological or physiological process, if the bilirubin is high, it can poison the brain and cause brain damage.
"If the baby has jaundice, you will find out if there is blood group compatibility, enzyme deficiency, or other factors. Clinically, we treat them the same and manage them aggressively, physiological or pathological,” he added.
Dr. Akosah Danso noted that neonatal jaundice is self-limiting and usually resolves after 12 weeks, requiring adequate monitoring.
"Once the bilirubin levels are not too high, not in the phototherapy level, you can let the mother continue breastfeeding. Usually, after 12 weeks, the condition resolves. But after 12 weeks, you check the bilirubin levels. If the bilirubin levels go down when you stop breastfeeding and go high when you start breastfeeding. You stop the breastfeeding," he noted.
He urged mothers to seek prompt intervention to avoid irreversible brain damage.
"It is very important to bring the child as soon as possible because that complication can be simply prevented. We don't want the complications to happen.
"The brain damage may not be apparent in the neonatal stage. It might not be apparent in the first six months. It is when the child is supposed to sit that you realise that the child is not sitting. The child is not crawling, not laughing, so it won't be apparent to you in the first month. When the child is not able to develop some milestones, then you trace it back to the high bilirubin levels," he explained.
Neonatal jaundice is a yellowish discolouration of the white part of the eyes and skin in a newborn baby due to high bilirubin levels. Other symptoms may include excess sleepiness or poor feeding.
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