Bilirubin Toxicity
Introduction Print Section Listen For many years, unconjugated bilirubin (UCB) was thought to be a useless waste product of heme catabolism, with no physiological function, but with potential toxicity. Toxicity…
Phototherapy and Other Treatments
Phototherapy Print Section Listen We owe the development of clinical phototherapy to an astute observation made, more than 50 years ago, by Sister J. Ward, the nurse in charge of…
Hemolytic Disorders and Their Management
Role of Hemolysis in Neonatal Jaundice and in Bilirubin-Induced Neurotoxicity Print Section Listen Imbalance between Bilirubin Production and Elimination The total serum bilirubin (TSB) concentration at any point in time…
Public Policy to Prevent Severe Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia
Introduction Print Section Listen Newborn jaundice, regardless of its etiology, is a matter of newborn safety, and when it is unrecognized or unmonitored or progresses untreated, it can lead to…
Prevention, Screening, and Postnatal Management of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia
Introduction Print Section Listen As noted in several other chapters in this book, bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus are still occurring throughout the world with population-based estimates of incidence in North…
Neonatal Jaundice in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Global Scope of Neonatal Jaundice and Associated Disabilities Print Section Listen For the most part, in the developed world, neonatal jaundice occurs without significant morbidity and/or mortality due to early…
Kernicterus
Introduction Print Section Listen Excessive newborn hyperbilirubinemia can cause permanent brain damage, that is, chronic bilirubin encephalopathy (BE), also known as kernicterus. The effort to understand and treat neonatal hyperbilirubinemia…
The Epidemiology of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia
Introduction Print Section Listen In order to develop an approach to the diagnosis and management of the jaundiced newborn, it is necessary to understand the nonpathologic factors that can affect…
Physiology of Neonatal Unconjugated Hyperbilirubinemia
Bilirubin Production in the Fetus and Newborn Print Section Listen Development of Bilirubin Production by Heme Catabolism Bilirubin is formed in the organism by oxidation–reduction reactions. It is the end…
Genetics of Neonatal Jaundice
Introduction Print Section Listen Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and resultant jaundice are common,1,2 affecting up to ˜80% of newborns.1 Although generally a benign postnatal transitional phenomenon, a select number of infants develop…
