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Changes in baby's skin color in yellow may be a symptom of carotenemia

Small skin tones suddenly turn yellow? Don't assume I'm jaundice first, Bun! Maybe he has carotenemia.

Carotenemia is a disease characterized by yellowish skin color due to excessive levels of beta-carotene in the blood. This can happen when babies eat too much beta-carotene-rich food.




Babies consume too much beta carotene

In general, carotenemia occurs because babies eat too much beta-carotene-rich foods, such as carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, corn and egg yolks. This condition is usually felt only when the baby has started to consume complementary foods (MPASI), namely fruits and vegetables.

In addition, babies who are breastfeeding can also suffer from carotenemia, you know! This happens if the mother consumes a lot of carotene-rich foods.

Carotenemia is more easily detected in white babies. In babies with dark skin, discoloration may be more visible on the palms and soles of the feet.
Because excess carotene is released by the sweat glands, the yellowing of the body is usually the area that often sweats. For example, the upper part of the nose, palms or feet, and the upper lip then spreads throughout the body.

An easy way for mothers to distinguish carotenemia from jaundice is to pay attention to the whites of the eyes or small sclera. In jaundice, the sclera will turn yellow. This does not occur in carotenemia, where the sclera will remain white as usual.

In adults, carotenemia is more common among vegetarians and people who take supplements with high carotene content. In addition, carotenemia is also associated with several diseases, such as diabetes mellitus, hypothyroidism, kidney disease, liver disease and anorexia nervosa.

Carotenemia is common in infants

Carotenemia is actually a fairly common condition in infants. The mother does not need to worry because this condition is actually not dangerous, does not require special care or treatment.

You can consult with your pediatrician to find out which foods are rich in carotene and should be avoided by babies. Not only oranges and vegetables, green vegetables like beans and spinach are also rich in carotene, Bun!

To overcome this, you should avoid giving your child carotene-rich foods for about one week. The goal is to reduce levels of carotene in the baby's body, so that skin color can return to normal.

Carotenemia is not a condition to consider. However, if your skin looks more yellow than usual or if yellow skin is accompanied by fever or weakness, you should consult your doctor for examination and treatment may be needed.

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