# Newborn jaundice (hyperbilirubinaemia)

Condition · id `maternal:neonatal-jaundice` · Maternal & Newborn Atlas · release `c7fb95f1d15a7d13` (public)

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Also called: Neonatal jaundice; Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia

Browse, life stage: Newborn  
Browse, care area: Newborn care  

## In plain language

Yellow skin and yellow whites of the eyes in a newborn, caused by too much bilirubin. Many healthy babies have some jaundice in the first week of life, and it usually goes away. It can also be a sign of a problem.

## Technical summary

Source: the MedlinePlus Jaundice topic (National Library of Medicine), which covers jaundice at any age. The American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 guideline revision on management of hyperbilirubinemia is listed as an identity-only reference; this atlas states no thresholds.

## Claims, with the population each applies to

## Context: Newborn babies in general (MedlinePlus and NICHD health information)

Recipient: Newborn; Population: Newborn babies. The sources set no limits of gestational age, birth weight or setting.; Care setting: Not stated in the source.; Geography: United States programmes are described by NICHD; MedlinePlus names no country.; Life stage: Newborn period; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable: general health information.

### Jaundice turns the skin and the whites of the eyes yellow, and it is caused by too much bilirubin. MedlinePlus says many healthy babies have some jaundice during the first week of life and that it usually goes away, but that jaundice can happen at any age and may be a sign of a problem.

- Category: Description
- Evidence stage: Evidence stage not applicable
- Certainty: Certainty not assessed
- Applies to: Recipient: Newborn; Population: Newborn babies. The sources set no limits of gestational age, birth weight or setting.; Care setting: Not stated in the source.; Geography: United States programmes are described by NICHD; MedlinePlus names no country.; Life stage: Newborn period; Gestational age: Not reported; Postnatal age: Not reported; Follow-up: Not applicable: general health information.
- Limitations: Consumer health information from the National Library of Medicine. The MedlinePlus topic covers jaundice at any age, not newborns alone, and gives no bilirubin thresholds or treatment rules. This atlas lists the American Academy of Pediatrics 2022 guideline as a reference only and takes no thresholds from it.
- Last checked: Not recorded
- Sources:
  1. Supports: Jaundice (MedlinePlus health topic) (Webpage, edition Health topic page as fetched on 2026-10-14 (mh-medlineplus-jaundice.html). Only the summary text is used. The page covers jaundice at any age, not newborns only.) <https://medlineplus.gov/jaundice.html>
     Locator: Summary, paragraphs 1 and 2. Retrieved 2026-10-14T18:24:16Z. Source state: Current. Snapshot hash: df09c49c9da86d86a1ff6682da5d6c1aae9c507e2957bbe01dd6eebcb95ae5b0.
     How it applies: The summary text of the health topic.

## Connected pages

- Related care page: routine newborn care: Care of the newborn in the first days (`maternal:essential-newborn-care`)
- Filed under this front: Screening and tests (`maternal:front-screening-and-tests`)
- Related to: Bilirubin level in a newborn (skin or blood) (`maternal:bilirubin-newborn`)
- Treated by: Phototherapy for newborn jaundice (`maternal:phototherapy`) [a claim, not a settled fact; see claim `maternal:claim-phototherapy-first-option` and its context]

## Provenance

Content hash: d7685944e31c15c13735b48af29602e49288f846a630efdb9a59177bce96c5ae
Last substantive edit: 2026-10-14
Evidence last checked: Not recorded