A form of icterus (bile pigmentation of tissues and membranes) occurring in infants.
Yellow pigmentation of the basal ganglia and other nerve cells in the spinal cord and brain, found in children with icterus.
Jaundice of a newborn with degenerative lesions in parts of the brain.
Kernicterus is a neurologic syndrome that results from the accumulation of bilirubin in the newborn brain. The symptoms of kernicterus begin during the first week of life and are nonspecific because they are also consistent with many other abnormalities in the neonate (infection, low blood sugar, brain hemorrhage, etc.).
Abnormal accumulation of the bile pigment bilirubin (hyperbilirubinemia) in the brain and other nerve tissue, causing yellow staining and damage to the involved tissues. In newborns it may cause mental retardation and sensory and motor disturbances.
A rare, potentially fatal neurological disorder in newborn infants caused by a toxic accumulation of bilirubin in central nervous system tissues. Bilirubin is a normal by-product of the breakdown of red blood cells. When the immature liver and kidneys of a newborn cannot process a large amount of this substance, the resulting condition is called hyperbilirubinemia. It is especially common in premature infants. Severe prolonged hyperbilirubinemia results in kernicterus. Hyperbilirubinemia is common in newborns; kernicterus is extremely rare. Jaundice — a yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes — is an early warning sign of hyperbilirubinemia. Untreated bilirubin levels that remain high for a long period can cause mental retardation, cerebral palsy, delayed or abnormal motor development, deafness, perceptual problems, and behavioral disorders. Severe cases of kernicterus can be fatal.
Staining and subsequent damage of the brain by bile pigment (bilirubin), which may occur in severe cases of hemolytic disease of the newborn. Immature brain cells in the basal ganglia are affected, and as brain development proceeds a pattern of cerebral palsy emerges at about six months, with uncoordinated movements, deafness, disturbed vision, and feeding and speech difficulties.
The staining with bile of the basal nuclei of the brain, with toxic degeneration of the nerve cells, which sometimes occurs in severe haemolytic disease of the newborn especially if prompt treatment by exchange transfusion has not been carried out. Rare nowadays, the result is a form of cerebral palsy.
A form of jaundice occurring in newborns during the second to eighth day after birth. The basal ganglia and other areas of the brain and spinal cord are infiltrated with bilirubin, a yellow substance produced by the breakdown of hemoglobin. The disorder is treated by phototherapy and exchange transfusion to limit neurological damage. The prognosis is quite poor if the condition is left untreated.
A severe medical condition characterized by the accumulation of bilirubin in the brain, resulting in lasting neurological impairments and the potential risk of fatality.
The atypical buildup of bilirubin pigment within the brain of a recently born infant stems from severe jaundice. Kernicterus leads to irreversible brain impairment, although the successful management of jaundice in newborns has considerably diminished the occurrence of this condition.
Brain jaundice, which occurs in infants with hemolytic neonatal jaundice, is the most severe and critical type of jaundice during childhood because it leads to the degeneration of certain brain regions.