# Can Untreated Jaundice in Newborns Cause Cerebral Palsy?
Untreated jaundice in newborns can indeed cause cerebral palsy through a serious condition called kernicterus. This happens when bilirubin, a yellow pigment produced during the breakdown of red blood cells, builds up to dangerous levels in a baby’s blood and crosses into the brain, causing permanent damage.
Jaundice is extremely common in newborns. About 80 percent of babies develop some degree of jaundice in their first week of life. In most cases, jaundice is mild and temporary, causing only a yellowish tint to the skin and eyes. However, when jaundice becomes severe and goes untreated, it can lead to kernicterus and lifelong complications.
The reason newborns are vulnerable to high bilirubin levels is that their livers are not yet mature enough to process and filter out bilirubin effectively. Newborns also have more red blood cells than adults, and since these cells don’t live as long, more bilirubin is produced when they break down. This natural process becomes dangerous only when bilirubin reaches excessive levels and medical intervention is delayed or missed.
Certain babies face higher risks for developing severe jaundice. Premature babies born before 37 to 38 weeks have particularly immature livers and are more likely to develop severe jaundice and neurological complications. Babies who experience bruising or scalp hematomas from birth trauma are also at increased risk, since large bruises break down into bilirubin and can cause high levels to develop quickly. Blood type incompatibility between mother and baby, and a family history of severe jaundice in siblings, also increase risk.
The symptoms of kernicterus can appear in the early days of life. Parents should watch for yellowing of the skin and eyes, poor feeding or refusal to eat, extreme sleepiness or lethargy, high-pitched crying, floppy or stiff muscles, seizures, arching of the back and neck, abnormal eye movements, and loss of reflexes. For babies with darker skin, the yellow tint can be harder to spot, so parents need to monitor other warning signs carefully.
When kernicterus develops, it causes permanent brain damage with serious lifelong effects. These include cerebral palsy and motor difficulties, hearing loss that is often severe and irreversible, learning disabilities, speech and language delays, uncontrollable involuntary movements, vision problems and unusual eye movements, and seizures that can develop into epilepsy.
The good news is that kernicterus is largely preventable with proper medical care. Healthcare providers are trained to identify jaundice early and treat it before dangerous bilirubin levels develop. The standard treatment is phototherapy, where special lights help break down bilirubin in the baby’s skin. In severe cases, exchange transfusion may be needed to remove excess bilirubin from the blood.
Medical negligence in managing jaundice is a significant problem. Failures that can lead to kernicterus include doctors failing to measure bilirubin levels when a baby clearly shows signs of jaundice, hospitals discharging high-risk newborns without arranging early follow-up appointments, ignoring bilirubin levels that already meet treatment thresholds, delaying phototherapy or plasma transfusion despite dangerous bilirubin levels, and not educating parents about warning signs or when to seek emergency care.
Parents play an important role in prevention by watching for jaundice symptoms and seeking immediate medical attention if they notice yellowing of the skin or eyes. Jaundice that doesn’t improve or worsens after the first few days requires urgent evaluation. Babies who have had jaundice for more than two weeks need additional testing to rule out underlying causes.
Once kernicterus has caused permanent brain damage, treatment focuses on support, rehabilitation, and managing symptoms. This is why early detection and treatment of jaundice is so critical. The condition is preventable, but once brain damage occurs, it is permanent.
Understanding the risks and symptoms of severe jaundice empowers parents and caregivers to advocate for their babies’ health. With proper medical monitoring and timely treatment, the serious complications of untreated jaundice can be avoided.
Sources
https://www.cerebralpalsyhub.com/birth-injury/kernicterus/
https://www.fletcherssolicitors.co.uk/medical-negligence/birth-injury-claims/kernicterus-claims/
https://vims.ac.in/vims-hospital/neonatal-jaundice-symptoms-causes-and-risk-factors-in-newborns/
https://www.nationalbirthinjurylaw.com/what-causes-cerebral-palsy
https://www.cerebralpalsyguide.com/legal/cerebral-palsy-lawsuit/california/
