Just Curious - Is There Any Evidence That Baby Jaundice Can Cause Problems In Later Life For Adults?

[joko]

No personal reason for asking, just something that occurred to me, but googling didnt really help.

If left untreated it can cause brain damage in a baby, but most cases are spotted and treated pretty quickly these day, so there is usually no brain damage, and no other bad effects.

or is there? I mean does it make adults prone to things? are they weaker in some parts of the body etc? are there things that only become evident in adulthood?

thanks

[goodgoalie]

http://www.nhs.uk/Conditions/Jaundice-newborn/Pages/Complications.aspx

[Mamyalynne]

I certainly haven't heard of it causing later issues, if as you say it is treated early enough.

Someone more well versed in the topic may know differently.

[Baldric]

I was allegedly born with Jaundice, I'm 66 now, spent 20 years as a Royal Marine, only came out due to a serious RTC, never had anything going back to Jaundice.

[Mamyalynne]

My youngest daughter was premature and very jaundiced, nothing to link any ailment she has had to the jaundice either.

I think often we look for links that aren't there - but I wait to be educated in the matter if I'm wrong.

[Cloverjo]

My son had mild jaundice as a baby and had to spend time under a lamp. I was never warned that he might have problems later.
He did have problems with fatigue and possible depression in his early twenties but I never thought they might be related.

[joko]

yes thats what i mean cloverjo - could some illnesses actually be triggered by that? - i mean baby jaundice is serious enough to potentially cause life changing brain damage and even death, if not treated.
so i just wondered if any kind of link had been made - are those few days in the beginning causing minor brain damage that it unnoticable? thinks such as depression, scizophrenia etc - things that are not visibly noticable or are often 'triggered'.
or maybe it causes small amounts of organ damage but they dont become a problem until later life.
I figured docs would have thought of this before of course, i just cant find any info on it.
it seems most consider it only damaging while its happening.
oh well, as i say i was just wondering

[Buenchico]

>>> Is There Any Evidence That Baby Jaundice Can Cause Problems In Later Life For Adults?

Most definitely YES:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3961148/

[Sqad]

Just a general answer.......
A baby may be born jaundiced....rare...due to serious problems.
A baby may be born with normal skin colouration but develop jaundice with the first 3or 4 days....very common indeed and not serious.
The main cause is blood being broken down by the baby in the womb and just after birth which cannot be got rid of by the baby....and that is bar far away the commonest cause and doesn't need treatment.
HOWEVER.....if the jaundice does reach a critical level (blood tests) then a condition called kernicterus may occur which can damage the brain causing paralysis, seizures and in later the cognitive impairment. KERNICTERUS is very rare...a GP in a practice of 3,000 patients is unlikely to see a case in 40 years of practice, so let us keep this thread in perspective.

[Old_Geezer]

There is a tendency for folk to want to know why present day symptoms are occurring, but I think one is in danger of tying it to whatever one simply thinks might be involved, when there may be no way to know one way or the other. Right or wrong, it probably doesn't help. Best to treat whatever life throws at you now, and not worry about possible ancient cause.

[Sqad]

O-G

" Best to treat whatever life throws at you now, and not worry about possible ancient cause."

I have a certain amount of sympathy with your above statement but, if one can identify a link between present " symptoms" and deleterious situations in the future and there is effective treatment, then one is helping mankind. This happens in jaundice of the newborn as phototherapy can make the bilirubin which is the problem, more soluble, easily got rid of and less harmful.

The problem with "links" in the medical field is that one can always find a "link " to support or settle an argument. Unfortunately, as of above, there are easily found other links on the same subject which arrive at exactly the opposite conclusion.

[joko]

Thanks all

I literally mentioned twice that i was 'just curious' and 'had no reason for asking' so not sure why some people seem to be telling me not to go looking for symptoms and searching for links to things etc as though i'm being a hypochondriac - i was just wondering! its just a question!

I also mentioned brain damage (kernicticus) in my OP, I know it can cause that, but it happens at the time, when theyre a baby, it is known about.

My question is about baby jaundice that clears up and appears to have gone completely away and causes no further issues ... only for say 40 years later, the adult gets some illness that is not generally connected to the the baby jaundice, but is actually happening because of the jaundice they had all those years ago, but it is never detected sooner because there were no symptoms sooner.

thanks

[jourdain2]

My youngest was early & jaundiced. She's nearly 40 no prob..

[Peter Pedant]

sqad - you can always find two opposed opinion on the internet

you sure can - often on a thread such as this
a yellow baby - jaundiced newborn - is incredibly common and it is essential to identify the cause ( if any ) so that appropriate treament can be given

the list of causes is here ( differential )
http://emedicine.medscape.com/article/974786-differential

and is sort of a page long

getting it wrong means dissatisfied grizzling parents and mucho mucho money

Books with titles like "Care of the Newborn" have long chapters on this