'Non-physiological jaundice' is not common. It is the term given to jaundice that is caused by the baby being ill or having a health disorder. Non-physiological jaundice can appear early (within 24 hours of the birth) or can persist for more than 2 weeks after the birth and can be quite severe, usually requiring treatment.
There are many causes for 'non-physiological jaundice', although most of these causes are quite rare. They can include:
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Babies with a blood group that is incompatible with the mother's. This can either be due to the Rhesus factor (where the mother's blood group is negative) or an incompatibility of the blood group called 'ABO incompatibility'. The baby will usually develop jaundice within the first 24 hours. |
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Babies who have a severe infection (for example, a blood infection - or 'septicaemia', a urine infection or meningitis). |
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Babies who have a liver problem, such as hepatitis. The baby's liver can also be inflamed from other illnesses such as rubella, cytomegalovirus (or CMV), toxoplasmosis and listeriosis). |
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An inherited metabolic disorder, such as galactosaemia, cystic fibrosis, or congenital hypothyroidism. These are usually routinely screened for a few days after the birth by a routine heel prick of the baby to take blood. Jaundice for these babies is usually prolonged. |
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Babies born with abnormalities of the liver, gall bladder or bowel. |
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A twin suffering from 'twin to twin transfusion'. This is a rare disorder where the twins shared the blood supply from one placenta in the uterus. One twin can receive an excess amount of blood (making them become very jaundiced), while the other twin is born with less blood, often being very pale and possibly needing a blood transfusion. |