High bilirubin in newborns is the norm

After the birth of a baby, many parents are faced with a diagnosis - a jaundice, which they are told by the doctors as a verdict. In fact, if this is not a pathological phenomenon, then there is nothing to be afraid of, but to moderate your fears, we will deal with the issue in more detail.

What is it?

Doctors do not like to go into discussion of diagnoses for a long time and explain the peculiarities of diseases to parents, so when a jaundice appears just say that the baby has increased bilirubin.

The first characteristic feature that can not be overlooked by a mother is the yellowed skin, then the whites of the eyes. For newborns, this can be a completely normal physiological condition, which is caused by the destruction of the protein component of the blood.

The bilirubin component itself has a characteristic yellow tinge, so when it starts to accumulate in large quantities in the body, it protrudes on the skin and eyeballs, from which a totally abnormal and unhealthy shade appears.

In the normal course of physiological processes, bilirubin in newborns is excreted by the action of enzymes on it, the development of which is handled by the liver. He leaves our body with urine or feces, some part, in an already transformed form is absorbed into the blood. As we see, this pigment is always in the body, only in permissible amounts, when they exceed the norm, doctors start to sound the alarm.

What is the norm for newborns?

It is impossible to compare the results of a newborn with an adult person, because they have this pigment in the body during the first month of life is always in an elevated state, but here there are limits.

In the first three days of life, the norm of bilirubin in newborns is 60 μmol / l. Then there is a high growth of the component in the blood, in quantitative terms it is 205 per liter or 170 μmol per liter of blood. In this case, doctors do not sound an alarm and consider such increased bilirubin in newborns the norm.

When the baby turns month, the bilirubin level should drop to the level of 20.5 μmol / l maximum.

The reason for such sudden differences

The main reason for this difference is that the child's body is not yet fully developed, so it can not fully, as an adult man, cope with the pigment's outward appearance. Erythrocytes are the main suppliers of oxygen in the mother to the baby, they are saturated with fetal hemoglobin.

After birth, this element begins to collapse actively, because it is no longer needed, and the baby's cleaning system is not yet ready to cope with such volumes, and here comes the jelly.

Types of bilirubin

In the human body, there are two types of bilirubin:

• indirect;
• straight.

Unlike the direct one, which dissolves in water and leaves easily, the product of destruction of hemoglobin fetus refers to an indirect pigment that does not dissolve and begins to be deposited inside.

The organism has to create a whole chemical reaction inside to make the conversion of indirect bilirubin into soluble and then only to withdraw it so that it does not harm.

At the time of the blood test, the overall ratio is taken, that is, the total composition is determined, which is represented as a percentage of these two components. At norm the ratio should be 3 parts indirect to four parts of the direct pigment.

When do they take the first blood?

The first blood from a newborn is taken immediately from the umbilical cord. It is necessary for the doctor to know what level of the element is contained in the body. After the analysis, three points or indicator will be indicated there:

• Indirect. It should be indicated at least 75%, it is considered the norm.
• Direct. Not more than 25% for compliance.
• General. This is the sum of the concentration of the other two indicators.

With an increased level of the first and second index, the doctor diagnoses jaundice, which can be physiological or pathological, which is a threat to the baby.

Physiological jaundice

Physiological jaundice - the diagnosis is absolutely not dangerous. Their thousand children he meets at seventy. The first signs of a mother can see within four days after birth. The main causes of the problem can be prematurity, oxygen deficiency during fetal gestation, asphyxia, mum's disease.

In rare cases, signs may appear only after a week and, as a rule, preterm infants suffer. In this case, the cause of the problem is milk of the mother, which contains a large number of hormones that prevent the removal of pigment from the body.

Pathological jaundice

This is a serious diagnosis for a child who requires urgent medical attention. The main causes are rhesus-conflict, blood of mother and baby are incompatible.

If during pregnancy such problems occur, after childbirth, the child may have:

• Intestinal obstruction.
• Small hemorrhages.
• Liver disease in an infectious form.
• Genetic destruction of erythrocytes.

If after three weeks you observe a consistently high level of bilirubin and discoloration of feces, intense coloration in urine, this indicates serious problems with bile outflows.

Than high digits are dangerous?

The main danger of high blood levels of bilirubin is its penetration into the nervous system. In this case, we are talking about the poison that destroys it. That's why right after the baby's birth, the first blood test is done, which is mandatory.

If the pigment has penetrated the nervous system, then the diagnosis of encephalopathy is made. This is a serious condition that appears already in the first 24 hours after birth. The main symptoms of this condition are as follows:

• Enlarged spleen and liver.
• The kid does not suck well.
• The child is always asleep.
• Low blood pressure.
• Rare spasms or restlessness of the limbs.

If this pathology is not cured in the first six months of life, then in the future hearing problems may occur, which means that the development of the child will be slow. In some, especially severe cases, babies paralyze.

Than to treat?

Treatment is carried out only in the hospital and only using special lamps. In medicine, this is called phototherapy.

Due to the effects of radiation, the indirect pigment is converted into one that can dissolve in the liquid and be eliminated from the body by itself. After each procedure, after 12 hours the transformed components successfully leave the body of the child.

However, this therapy has not serious, but side effects in the form of diarrhea or peeling of the skin.

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