Clinical profile of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia in children medical centre Tehran

Background: Neonatal jaundice is a common finding in newborns especially during the first week of birth. Hyperbilirubinemia in most of the cases is not dangerous and usually results from a physiologic cause. However, due to the capability of unconjugated bilirubin to pass via the blood brain barrier and its neurotoxic effect, proper assessment and management of neonatal jaundice is important for prevention of avoidable neurological complications of NNJ, such as kernicterus. Methods: This was a descriptive cross-sectional study which studied 220 neonates >34 weeks of GA diagnosed with jaundice admitted in the neonatal ward. Results: A total of 220 patients with neonatal jaundice were enrolled in the study, 56.8% were male and 43.2% were female. The mean gestational age was 37.56 weeks with 80% of term. The mean birth weight of the study population was 3085.44±540.9 g. The mean total serum bilirubin was 15.908±4.36 mg/dl. In etiology 19.1% were having ABO incompatible, 17.3% were Rh incompatible, 12.7% were IDM, 5.5% were G6PD deficiency, 3% had ABO as well as Rh incompatibility and 0.9% were septic with positive blood culture. Phototherapy (75%) and exchange therapy (5%) was treatment modality during hospitalization. Conclusions: Neonatal jaundice is an important neonatal condition and needs proper and timely intervention for prevention of avoidable neurological complications. Mostly its physiological but pathological jaundice should also be considered when jaundice appears early or is severe. Intensive phototherapy is most common treatment modality but a significant number needs exchange transfusion.