Impact of phototherapy on serum calcium levels in full-term neonates with hyperbilirubinemia

Objective: The purpose of this study is to investigate the frequency of hypocalcemia in term newborns with neonatal hyperbilirubinemia following phototherapy. Material and Methods: The descriptive case series research was conducted for six months, from August 2020 to February 2021, at the Department of Pediatric Medicine at the Divisional Headquarters Teaching Hospital, Mirpur Azad Kashmir. All patients were enrolled, informed consent was obtained, and they received 48 hours of double surface phototherapy. Routine investigations also included the measurement of serum calcium. Results: The study found a mean age of 14 days, with 63.68% male and 36.32% female cases. Before and after therapy, blood calcium levels averaged 2.41 ± 1.477 mmol/L & 2.5 ± 0.465 mmol/L respectively. Hypocalcemia was seen in 15.79% of patients. The study discovered that the prevalence of hypocalcemia was statistically equal in situations where the baseline blood bilirubin levels before treatment were 85.5-119.7 µmol/L (14.2%) and 121.4-171 µmol/L (16.8%). Conclusion: In conclusion, after 48 hours of phototherapy, 15.79% of the newborns experienced hypocalcemia, indicating that calcium supplementation may be used as a preventative measure to avoid this disease. Keywords: Neonatal jaundice, Calcium supplementation, Phototherapy, Complications.