Jaundice in Babies When to Worry? | Jaundice Newborn

Causes of jaundice in the newborn

Now that we know how jaundice develops, let’s take a look at the possible causes of jaundice in the newborn. The following are the commonest ones:

Physiologic jaundice

By far the most common cause of jaundice in the newborn is physiologic jaundice. It results from the increased breakdown of red blood cells following birth, which is a normal physiologic process. There is no absolute cause as to why some infants develop jaundice and others do not. However, there are some risk factors that determine why some infants develop the condition including:

• Race: It is known that jaundice of the newborn is more common in those of Asian ancestry
• Low birth weight and being born before term
• Having an infection while still intrauterine
• Infants of mothers who were drug abusers

Pathologic jaundice

Pathologic jaundice is the opposite of physiologic jaundice, and it results from a distinct disease process. Disease causes of neonatal jaundice include:

• Hemolytic diseases
• Polycythemia
• Sepsis
• Endocrine disorders
• Breast milk jaundice, which is a condition that is related to breast feeding and results from a certain chemical in breast milk and the immaturity of the newborn’s liver.