Knowledge and awareness of women of childbearing age on cause,management and prevention of neonatal jaundice
Introduction
According to study that was conducted in Southeast Nigeria, neonatal jaundice accounts for 35 percent of admissions to neonatal critical care units. This statistic places neonatal jaundice among the most common causes of morbidity (Onyearugha et al., 2011). In developing countries, prematurity, infectious causes, G6PD deficiency, as well as the effects of negative traditions and social practices such as the consumption of herbal drugs during pregnancy, the habit of applying dusting powder on infants, and the use of naphthalene balls to store baby’s clothes are the main constituents of the aetiology. In developed countries, the majority of the cases are caused by G6PD deficiency. In developing countries, prematurity accounts for (Olusanya et al., 2009).
Newborns frequently have a condition known as hyperbilirubinemia, which is typically a harmless condition. During the first week of life, jaundice is seen in roughly sixty percent of newborns who were born full term and eighty percent of infants who were born prematurely (Ambalavanan & Carlo, 2012). Neonatal jaundice is an asymptomatic, self-limiting, and non-problematic illness that is observed in at least 60 percent of newborns in their first few days of life. It is considered to be a normal occurrence (AWHONN, 2006). A condition known as hyperbilirubinemia is characterized by an excessively high concentration of the bile pigment bilirubin in the serum as compared to the age of the infant in hours (AWHONN, 2006). It has been described as one of the most common causes for late preterm baby readmission and is the most common clinical problem that requires diagnosis and discussion in a newborn (Escobar et al., 2005). (Hillman, 2007; Shapiro- Mendoza et al., 2008).
Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common health issue, as stated by Mishra et al. (2008), and it is described as a total serum bilirubin level that is greater than 5 mg per decilitre (85 mol per L). Additionally, this condition is considered to be a neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. Within the first week of a baby’s life, jaundice presents a significant challenge. The condition is upsetting for the attending physician, and it gives the parents reason to be concerned for their child. Even in term newborns, having high amounts of bilirubin in their blood can be harmful to their growing neural systems and may later result in neurological impairments. In the first week of life, jaundice manifests itself in over 60 percent of term newborns who were born in a hospital. In most cases, there is no need to take any preventative measures because the situation is not life-threatening. It is estimated that between 5 and 10 percent of them have clinically detectable hyperbilirubinemia, which necessitates the use of phototherapy (Mishra et al., 2008).
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