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Symptoms of Rubella in newborns

Contingent upon while during the pregnancy the embryo is contaminated, it might have no indications or might be stillborn. Babies who endure may have various birth deserts. These birth absconds are alluded to as congenital rubella syndrome (CRS).  The most well-known indications of innate rubella disorder in infants incorporate: Low birth weight  Small head/ Microcephaly   Brain inflammation Cataracts Damage to the retina Hearing loss Heart defects Enlarged liver and spleen Bruises or other skin spots Enlarged lymph nodes
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Introduction to Neonatal Jaundice

NEONATAL JAUNDICE:  Jaundice is a common and usually harmless condition in newborn babies that causes yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes due to elevated levels of bilirubin in the bloodstream of the newborn.

Other symptoms of newborn jaundice can include:

  • Yellowing of the palms of the hands or soles of the feet.
  • Dark, yellow urine ( a newborn baby's urine should be colorless).
  • Pale-colored poo ( it should be yellow or orange).
The symptoms of newborn jaundice usually develop 2 to 3 days after the birth and tend to get better without treatment by the time the baby is about 2 weeks old.

Most neonates develop some jaundice in the first few weeks of life because they have a :

  • Relative polycythemia - apparent rise of erythrocyte level in blood.
  • Shortened red cell lifespan ( 70 days as compared to 120 days in adults).
  • Relative immaturity of the liver( in infants the liver is not fully developed. that immaturity makes it difficult for the liver to filter all of the bilirubin).
  • Most neonatal jaundice is due to unconjugated bilirubin and is physiological. Conditions involving hemolysis, e.g. Rhesus disease, excessive neonatal bruising(excessive bleeding), resulting in more pronounced jaundice, sometimes severe, and premature and unwell infants also develop more severe jaundice.
  • Conjugated hyperbilirubinemia is always pathological, and has many rare causes.
  • Conjugated bilirubin is not toxic to the brain.
  • When the levels of unconjugated bilirubin are high, they exceed the albumin- binding capacity of the blood and exits as free unconjugated bilirubin. This is harmful to the baby. It is lipid-soluble and therefore can cross the blood-brain barrier where it causes neurotoxicity ( known as kernicterus).
  • Kernicterus:
  1. Immediate effects - lethargy, irritability, increased tone, opisthotonus
  2. Long term effects - sensorineural deafness, learning difficulties and choreoathetoid cerebral palsy
  • Premature infants, sick neonates and those with low albumin levels are at increased risk.
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