Bilirubin Normal Range For Newborn
A newborn s immature liver often can t remove bilirubin quickly enough causing an excess of bilirubin.
Bilirubin normal range for newborn. Jaundice due to these normal newborn conditions is called physiologic jaundice and it typically appears on the second or third day of life. The cause of the jaundice is quite varied. He or she will be put under a type of fluorescent light to treat the jaundice. Any range below these levels is considered healthy and normal.
The skin absorbs the light which changes the bilirubin so that the body can more easily get rid of it. Because the bilirubin has a color it turns babies shin and eyes yellow jaundice. In a newborn higher bilirubin is normal due to the stress of birth. This is called phototherapy.
Normally the liver filters bilirubin from the bloodstream and releases it into the intestinal tract. Advertisement kidshealth notes that high serum bilirubin levels indicate newborn jaundice which has symptoms that include the yellowing of eyes and skin difficulty feeding and excessive sleepiness. In case the levels of bilirubin in the body are within the normal range it does not create a problem. Normal indirect bilirubin would be under 5 2 mg dl within the.
Medical literature sources have minor variations in normal levels. Your baby will need treatment if the bilirubin level is above the normal range for newborns. The treatment is usually done in a hospital. A common condition it can occur when babies have a high level of bilirubin a yellow pigment produced during the breakdown of red.
Although most causes are benign each case must be investigated to rule out an etiology with significant morbidity. Normal bilirubin levels for older children and adults should be at or below 1mg dl milligrams per deciliter. However at times it is possible for the amount of bilirubin in the body to rise to a very high level which in turn can lead to serious health complications. Newborn jaundice is a yellowing of a baby s skin and eyes.
Total bilirubin direct and indirect range from about 0 2 to 1 2 mg dl some lab values range as high as 1 9 mg dl. Bilirubin can be described as the yellowish substance that is produced by the liver when old cells are broken down. Although the risk of bilirubin toxicity is probably negligible in a healthy term newborn without hemolysis 9 the physician should become concerned if the bilirubin level is above 25 mg per dl 428. Almost all babies have increased bilirubin levels within 1 2 days of birth.
Normal values of direct bilirubin range from 0 to 0 4 mg dl.