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Kernicterus - Symptom

Alternative Names

Bilirubin encephalopathy

Symptoms:

The symptoms depend on the stage of kernicterus.

Early stage:

Extreme jaundice
Absent startle reflex
Poor feeding or sucking
Extreme sleepiness (lethargy)

Mid stage:

High-pitched cry
Arched back with neck hyperextended backwards
Bulging fontanel (soft spot)
Seizures

Late stage (full neurological syndrome):

High-frequency hearing loss
Mental retardation
Muscle rigidity
Speech difficulties
Seizures
Movement disorder

Signs and tests:

A blood test will show a high bilirubin level (greater than 20-25 mg/dL).

Note: Normal value ranges may vary slightly among different laboratories. Talk to your doctor about the meaning of your specific test results.

Kernicterus

Reviewed last on: 5/9/2011
Kimberly G Lee, MD, MSc, IBCLC, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Fetus and Newborn. Hospital stay for healthy term newborns. Pedatrics. 2010; 125: 405.

American Academy of Pediatrics, Subcommittee on Hyperbilirubinemia Management of hyperbilirubinemia in the newborn infant 35 or more weeks of gestation. Pediatrics. 2004;114: 297-316.

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