Abstract

A THREAT TO INFANTS: KERNICTERUS

Suchana Chowdhury*

ABSTRACT

The term kernicterus literally means "yellow kern" and the term „kern‟ indicates the most commonly affected region of the brain that is the nuclear region It is a rare kind of preventable brain damage that can happen in new-born with jaundice. Jaundice is a yellow colouring of the skin affects 60% - 80% of infants all over the world, it happens when bilirubin levels become high. If this high level of bilirubin dissipates on it‟s own kernicterus does not occur but accumulation leads to manifestation of the disease. Bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND) is the term applied to the spectrum of neurologic abnormalities associated with hyperbilirubinemia. It can be further divided into characteristic signs and symptoms that appear in the early stages (acute bilirubin encephalopathy) as clinical manifestations and those that evolve over a prolonged period (chronic bilirubin encephalopathy) found upon anatomic diagnosis. No medicine has been yet developed to cure Kernicterus but a set of well developed measures like Exchange transfusion, Phototherapy have been taken to prevent it.

Keywords: Kernicterus, Exchange transfusion, Acute bilirubin encephalopathy, Chronic bilirubin encephalopathy.