UK watchdog issues new guidance on treating jaundice in babies

May 19, 2010 by Shawn Douglas
Filed under: Baby Health, News

The UK watchdog NICE has issued new, stricter guidance on how medical professionals should better diagnose and treat jaundice in babies.

New guidance issued by the National Institute of Health and Clinical Excellence suggests that newborns suspected of having jaundice should receive blood tests within two hours of birth to verify the condition.

Doctors, nurses and midwives have traditionally gauged babies for jaundice by visually checking the color of the skin and eyes. Jaundice, a condition typically caused by an undeveloped liver, is associated with yellow skin and whites of the eyes. The yellowing is a result of the liver not being able to process bilirubin, a byproduct of broken down red blood cells.

“Clinical recognition of the severity of the jaundice can be difficult, especially in babies with darker skin tones, and uncertainty currently exists about when and how to treat it,” said Dr. Fergus Macbeth, the director of the Centre for Clinical Practice at NICE, in a press release.

This new guideline aims to address this by helping midwives, health visitors and pediatricians, amongst others, recognise and treat neonatal jaundice to prevent problems like kernicterus,” added Macbeth.

While most instances of jaundice are little to worry about, complications do occur, sometimes in the form of kernicterus, a neurological condition linked to cerebral palsy, hearing loss and deficiencies in the eyes and teeth.

“The majority of babies will develop jaundice in their first week of life, and it will be generally harmless in most cases,” said Macbeth.

“Although the condition does have the potential to become serious, it can usually be easily treated with timely and appropriate medical care. This guideline will ensure that happens.”

Dr. Janet Rennie, the chair of the Guideline Development Group and a consultant neurologist at University College Hospital London, agreed that the new guidelines were required.

“These recommendations should ensure that babies who have factors associated with an increased likelihood of developing significant jaundice are identified earlier so they receive prompt effective and appropriate treatment, directed at preventing permanent damage,” said Rennie.

The full guidance document can be found on the NICE Web site.