Kernicterus is a rare but severe form of brain damage that occurs in newborns with untreated or inadequately managed hyperbilirubinemia. It results from the toxic accumulation of bilirubin in the brain tissues. Bilirubin is a yellow pigment produced during the normal breakdown of red blood cells. When bilirubin levels become excessively high, it can cross the blood-brain barrier and deposit in certain areas of the brain, causing neurological damage.
