Does My Baby Have Kernicterus?
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You’ve probably seen or heard about jaundice – the yellow color in a newborn baby’s skin that typically goes away in the first few days or weeks. What you may not know is that untreated jaundice can sometimes progress to a condition called “hyperbilirubinemia,” which can in turn cause irreversible brain damage, a condition called “kernicterus.”
Could your baby’s Kernicterus have been prevented by early diagnosis and treatment?
Kernicterus is a rare but serious disease that affects babies soon after they are born. It is especially tragic because it is easily prevented. The yellowing of your baby’s skin (jaundice) that is seen before Kernicterus develops is a clue that there may be a problem. A doctor should know from this sign that the baby needs treatment. If jaundice is treated, kernicterus can be prevented. Kernicterus only develops if jaundice is untreated.
Children who develop Kernicterus likely are victims of medical malpractice. While some children who have Kernicterus can do well, others will have severe deficits that require a lifetime of care.
The Medical Malpractice attorneys at Phillips & Paolicelli, LLP have deep experience representing children and families whose lives have been tragically changed by the failure of doctors, nurses, and other health-care providers to properly manage jaundice in newborns. We hope that this information will tell you know what you need to know and what you can do – before birth, before leaving the hospital, and after you get home – to help protect your baby from dangerous levels of newborn jaundice.
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is the yellow color in the skin of many newborns. It occurs when a chemical called bilirubin builds up in your baby’s blood. About 60% of newborns have some level of jaundice, and for most, it goes away after a few days and is not a problem.
But some infants are not so fortunate. Bilirubin continues to build up in their blood until it reaches a high level (hyperbilirubinemia). If not treated, hyperbilirubinemia can cause brain damage and a debilitating neurological condition called kernicterus. Early detection and management of jaundice can and should prevent kernicterus.
Clinically, Kernicterus involves:
1) Specific movement disorders;
2) Hearing loss or deafness;
3) Impairment of eye movements, especially upward gaze; and
4) Abnormal staining of the enamel of baby teeth.
Children with Kernicterus have a “dystonic” or “athetoid” form of cerebral palsy. An “athetoid” form of cerebral palsy is classic and refers to the slow, writhing involuntary movements that occur.
Dystonia, or abnormal muscle tone and position, is more common, and may occur with or without athetosis.
Some children with Kernicterus are deaf, some have normal hearing, and some with or without deafness have an auditory processing problem now called auditory neuropathy or auditory dys-synchrony.
Auditory brainstem response (ABR) tests (also known as BAEP, BAER or BSER) are often abnormal, whereas other “hearing” tests, such as otoacoustic emissions (OAEs) and cochlear microphonic responses are normal.