Incidence and Causes of Neonatal Jaundice in a Population of North East India

Abstract

Background: Neonatal jaundice is a common cause of mortality and morbidity in newborn babies and account for up to 60% cases in term and 80% in preterm babies. Studies from different geographical areas should be done to know the causes of hyperbirubinemia properly so that a collective effort can be made to decrease the burden mortality and morbidity associated with it Objectives:To study the incidence and causes of neonatal jaundice in babies admitted in the hospital Methods: It was a hospital based observational study conducted in one of the busiest hospitals of Jorhat over a period of 12 months. Incidence and causes of neonatal jaundice in the babies born in the hospital during the study period were studied. Results: 710 newborns delivered during the study period out of which 439 (61.8%) newborns developed clinical jaundice. 290 (66%) newborns had physiological jaundice and the rest 149 (34%) developed pathological jaundice. Among the 149 babies developing pathological jaundice 87(58.3%) were males and 62(41.6%) were females. Most common cause was ABO incompability(31%) of cases, second was breast feeding jaundice (28%) , third was prematurity (12%) .Other causes were cephalohematoma(1.3%), Rh incompatibility(3.3%) , G6PD deciency(8%), sepsis(4.7%) and in 11.4% babies no denite cause was found. Conclusion: Adequate feeding, preventing premature deliveries, good monitoring of babies with ABO incompability, prematurity, Rh incompability, G6PD deciency can decrease the mortality and morbidity associated with neonatal jaundice.

Risk Factors and Outcome of Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: A Case Control Study in a Tertiary Level Paediatric Hospital

“…Although we got patients mostly due to exaggerated physiological jaundice, other causes are not negligible. [25][26] Regarding the outcome, we found that babies with blood group incompatibilities required longer duration of phototherapy. Study done by Bhat YR also concluded from their study that neonates with hemolysis required phototherapy significantly earlier and for longer than neonates without hemolysis (P<0.001).…”