The bile pigment formed in the blood during the destruction of hemoglobin and other proteins and contained in the plasma, having a yellow-brown color, is bilirubin. Its norm in the blood is not the same: in children older than one month of age and in adults, the concentration of this pigment is 8.5–20.5 µmol / L, in infants - up to 205 µmol / L and even more.
So
increased bilirubin in newborns is understandable. A child cannot breathe on its own while in the womb. In his tissue, oxygen is supplied by red blood cells that contain fetal hemoglobin. It becomes unnecessary after the baby is born, as a result of which it is destroyed. Therefore, increased bilirubin in the newborn is observed. It is free, in other words, an indirect pigment that is insoluble. The kidneys cannot remove it, so it circulates in the blood until completely enzymatic systems mature in the body. When this happens, indirect bilirubin is transformed into direct and excreted.
Jaundice in babies
Increased bilirubin in newborns leads to the occurrence of jaundice. In most babies, it is physiological, manifests itself approximately 3-4 days after birth, and eventually disappears without a trace, without causing any harm to the body. Often jaundice occurs in cases when there is intrauterine hypoxia of the fetus, diabetes in the mother. Significantly increased bilirubin in newborns can provoke the development of pathological jaundice. The causes of its appearance include the destruction of red blood cells due to genetics, incompatibility of the mother and baby by the Rh factor or blood groups, liver damage of an infectious nature, intestinal obstruction, hormonal disorders, constitutional hepatic dysfunction, etc. To find out what exactly caused the occurrence of the pathology, it can Only a specialist, based on the results of a blood test and other studies.
Bilirubin encephalopathy
If there is a markedly increased bilirubin in newborns, there is a danger of its penetration into the nervous system and toxic effects on it. Such a dangerous condition for nerve centers and the brain is called bilirubin, or nuclear, encephalopathy. Its symptoms are manifested in a decrease in the newborn's sucking reflex, lowering blood pressure, severe drowsiness, convulsions. By the age of six months, a baby may experience hearing impairment, paralysis, and mental retardation.
Elevated Bilirubin: Treatment
If the baby has physiological jaundice, phototherapy is the most effective treatment. Using light exposure, free bilirubin is converted to non-toxic, which is then excreted in urine and feces for 12 hours. However, phototherapy can cause side effects, such as loose stools, peeling of the skin. After the termination of phototherapy, they pass. In addition, for faster elimination of physiological jaundice, it is often recommended to breast-feed a baby. Due to colostrum, the original feces (meconium) are excreted from the body together with bilirubin. With pathological jaundice, in addition to using the listed methods of treatment, therapy should also be carried out aimed at eliminating the cause of the disease.