What are the symptoms of kernicterus?

Initial symptoms of kernicterus in babies include:

• poor feeding.
• irritability.
• a high-pitched cry.
• lethargy (sleepiness)
• brief pauses in breathing (apnoea)
• their muscles becoming unusually floppy, like a rag doll.

What causes kernicterus?

Kernicterus is caused by a high level of bilirubin in a baby’s blood. If left untreated, the bilirubin can then spread into the brain, where it causes long-term damage.

What part of the brain does kernicterus affect?

Regions most commonly affected include the basal ganglia; hippocampus; geniculate bodies; and cranial nerve nuclei, such as the oculomotor, vestibular, and cochlear. The cerebellum can also be affected.

Can kernicterus be cured?

Outlook for kernicterus Treatment can stop but not reverse this damage. That’s why it’s important to monitor newborns for high bilirubin levels — especially if they’re at risk — and treat them quickly.

Can adults get kernicterus?

Kernicterus in an adult is very rare. In this case, extracorporeal charcoal-column perfusion treatment led repeatedly to severe depletion of fibrinogen, with extensive hemorrhages.

When can kernicterus occur?

In some cases, symptoms and physical findings of kernicterus appear two to five days after birth. Within the first few days of life, affected infants develop abnormally high levels of bilirubin in the blood (hyperbilirubinemia) and persistent yellowing of the skin, mucous membranes, and whites of the eyes (jaundice).

When does kernicterus happen?

In most cases, the syndrome characteristic of kernicterus develops by three to four years of age.

What are the signs of bilirubin toxicity that leads to kernicterus?

Presenting signs and symptoms include decreased feeding, lethargy, abnormal tone (hypotonia and/or hypertonia), high-pitched cry, retrocollis and opisthotonus, setting-sun sign, fever, seizures, and possibly death [6,7]. Seizures usually resolve several weeks after the acute insult.

How do you know if your baby has kernicterus?

Signs & Symptoms Initial findings associated with kernicterus may vary from case to case, but often include lack of energy (lethargy) or drowsiness, poor feeding habits, fever, a shrill high-pitched cry, and/or absence of certain reflexes (e.g., Moro reflex, etc.).

Can kernicterus happen in adults?

Why is bilirubin toxic?

Bilirubin is toxic in most biological systems tested. Several mechanisms have been suggested for this toxic effect, including inhibition of enzyme systems and inhibition of cell regulatory reactions (protein/peptide phosphorylation).

What is kernicterus and how is it caused?

Kernicterus is a rare kind of preventable brain damage that can happen in newborns with jaundice. Jaundice is a yellow coloring of the skin and other tissues that affects about 60\%-80\% of infants in the United States.

What is the difference between jaundice and kernicterus?

Kernicterus, also known as Hyperbilirubinemia or bilirubin encephalopathy, is a rare neurological disorder that occurs when hyperbilirubinemia damages the brain. Whereas with jaundice treatment reduces bilirubin levels and the baby recovers, kernicterus means that bilirubin levels are toxic.

What are the treatment options for kernicterus?

Early detection and management of jaundice can prevent kernicterus. Phototherapy is the most commonly used method to prevent bilirubin toxicity. The definitive method of removing bilirubin from the blood is exchange transfusion.

Does kernicterus qualify as a birth injury?

Some people think that birth injuries are mistakes made at the child’s birth that affects the baby for a lifetime – or at least for a few years. While this is sometimes true, Kernicterus may qualify as a birth injury if a physician fails to detect and monitor the high levels of bilirubin or recognize the signs of bilirubin encephalopathy.