Jaundice in newborn babies usually goes away without any treatment. But if it’s more serious, simple treatments using lights usually help. One of my three children had jaundice or Gelbsucht (in German) when he was born and was treated with phototherapy until I took him home. On that time, I had not realized that severe jaundice can cause Kernicterus (brain damage) to a baby if left untreated. Thanks to God we had a great pediatrician.

What is Kernicterus? Kernicterus is a very rare type of brain damage that occurs in a newborn with severe jaundice. It happens when a substance in the blood, called bilirubin, builds up to very high levels and spreads into the brain tissues. This causes permanent brain damage. Kernicterus may be prevented by treating jaundice early before it gets severe.

What to do if you have a child who has Kernicterus? In this case, you may have a medical malpractice claim against healthcare providers who caused this injury. If you would like more information about your legal rights concerning a medical malpractice claim for Kernicterus, you may visit Kernicterus Law.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 11th, 2008 at 4:19 am and is filed under Health, Legal Matters. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.