title: Breast milk beta-glucuronidase and prolonged jaundice in the neonate.
abstract: Breast milk samples from mothers of breast-fed, healthy, term newborns with unexplained prolonged jaundice were analyzed for beta-glucuronidase activity. Mean enzyme activity was 75.7 +/- 34.5 modified Sigma units/ml in the breast milk samples ingested by the study group of jaundiced babies (n = 25) and 82.2 +/- 40.1 modified Sigma units/ml in the samples ingested by the control group of non-jaundiced babies (n = 20) (p > 0.05). Enzyme activities at 2, 3 and 4 postnatal weeks were 101.0 +/- 39.9, 66.0 +/- 20.7 and 57.0 +/- 22.4 modified Sigma units/ml in the study group and 87.9 +/- 36.1, 58.5 +/- 15.0 and 88.3 +/- 49.1 modified Sigma units/ml in the controls. The differences were not statistically significant (p > 0.05). We conclude that breast milk beta-glucuronidase activity may be a contributory factor, in the presence of other variables, in hyperbilirubinemia but it is neither the main nor the only cause of prolonged jaundice in neonates.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Istanbul Medical Faculty, Istanbul University, Turkey.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Ince
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Coban
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Peker
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Can
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001034:Apgar Score; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D002151:Calorimetry; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005966:Glucuronidase / Q000032:analysis* / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D008895:Milk, Human / Q000201:enzymology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D005966:Glucuronidase; D001663:Bilirubin