A condition of extreme jaundice (icterus) in a newborn which may result from a blockage in the bile duct in the liver, an immune reaction of the mother to the baby because of Rh factor (if the mother is negative and the baby is positive), erythroblastosis fetalis (a type of anemia which occurs in Rh+ babies of Rh- mothers), inflamed blood vessels, or complications due to the venereal disease syphilis involving liver cirrhosis.