At what serum level of bilirubin do adults and infants develop clinically noticeable jaundice?
- Adults develop clinically detectable jaundice when serum levels of bilirubin reach 2.5 to 3 mg/dL, whereas infants may not demonstrate visually detectable jaundice (from the French word jaune, meaning yellow) until serum levels reach 6 to 8 mg/dL.
- Hyperbilirubinemia precedes jaundice by several days because the bilirubin has not yet bound to tissue.
- After serum levels of bilirubin normalize, patients may remain visually jaundiced, as it takes several days for tissue-bound bilirubin to be released.
