These 5 factors are the cause of yellow babies

Within 2-3 days of birth, the baby will turn yellow due to increased bilirubin. This condition usually disappears in less than 2 weeks. However, if the level of bilirubin is too high and is not treated, it can cause the condition of nuclear artermium, also known as bilirubin encephalopathy.

Kernicterus is a disease characterized by very high levels of bilirubin in the blood that accumulates in the brain. High bilirubin causes brain damage that cannot be repaired by any action.
Factors causing yellow babies

The cause of yellow babies is increased levels of bilirubin in the blood. Bilirubin is a substance produced by the breakdown of heme, a component of red blood cells.

When a baby is born, red blood cell decay usually occurs. This is one of the adaptations made by babies. Because of the greater number of red blood cells and shorter life expectancy, neonates produce twice as much bilirubin as adults. This condition is the cause of yellow babies.

Increased production or decreased elimination of bilirubin can increase the risk of the baby experiencing an increase in extreme bilirubin levels, resulting in kernicterus. Factors that increase bilirubin levels include:
1. Ethnicity, race and gender

Babies originating from the East or the Mediterranean have higher levels of bilirubin production than white babies. The same is true for the dark race versus the whites. In addition, it is known that male sex has higher bilirubin levels than women.
2. Hereditary factors

A mother who gives birth to a child with a yellow history is more likely to have the same case in the next child. The exact cause of maternal inheritance is unknown.

It is thought that a person's genetic factors influence the increased levels of the beta-glucoronidase enzyme in infants and breast milk. This enzyme plays a role in the intestine by modifying the structure of bilirubin so that bilirubin that should be removed is absorbed back into the body.
3. Polycythemia

Polycythemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells is higher than normal. Conditions such as smoking, maternal disease during pregnancy, lack of the placenta and pregnant women living in the highlands can cause polycythemia at birth.

In this situation, the level of bilirubin in the blood will increase because of the increasing number of red blood cells that are degraded by the body.
4. Hemolysis (rupture of blood cells)

Different types of blood in the mother and baby can cause immune reactions, which cause damage to blood cells. This condition occurs in fetal erythroblastosis, where the mother has rhesus negative blood and rhesus positive fetus.

The formation of antibodies due to fetal blood is considered a foreign body in the mother. Antibodies can cross the placenta and attack fetal red blood cells, resulting in excessive cuts. This condition usually occurs during the second pregnancy.

Red blood cell deformity also makes the baby vulnerable to hemolysis, which causes the baby to turn yellow. Examples are children with thalassemia or glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency.
5. Premature babies

Babies born prematurely or prematurely are more likely to experience yellow. Indeed, albumin protein in the blood lacks an affinity for bilirubin. In fact, albumin protein plays an important role in binding bilirubin so it does not enter the brain.

The reduced capacity of albumin protein results in higher levels of free bilirubin in the blood. Free bilirubin is vulnerable to enter the brain and cause kernicterus.

In addition to the five things above, birth trauma, galactosemia, liver disorders, and sepsis can also cause a baby to be yellow and at risk of developing kernicterus.

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