Neurodevelopmental and audiological outcome of healthy term newborns with moderately severe non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia.
OBJECTIVE
Our objective was to examine the outcome of term infants who developed moderate non-haemolytic jaundice as information regarding the neurodevelopmental outcome of term infants with moderately severe non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia remains controversial.


METHODS
Thirty-nine term infants rehospitalised with non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia (serum bilirubin levels: 20-30 mg/dL) during the first 2 weeks of life (study group), were assessed and compared to 36 children born at term who did not develop neonatal jaundice (control group). Assessment consisted of the Bailey 2 test, speech evaluation, behavioural hearing test and a neurological examination.


RESULTS
The subjects were assessed at a mean age of 3 years. There was no difference between the groups with regard to background data, except for the mean gestational age (38 + 1.3 weeks (study group) vs. 39.5 + 1.4 weeks (control group), P= 0.01). There were no significant differences between the groups in outcome parameters initially, and after correcting for possible confounding factors. None of the children in either of the groups had a neurosensory hearing deficit or any significant neurological deficiency. There was no correlation of outcome parameters with the admission serum Bilirubin levels or with the duration of hyperbilirubinemia.


CONCLUSIONS
No untoward outcome was found in term healthy infants with moderately severe non-haemolytic hyperbilirubinemia. Moreover, we did not find a correlation of outcome with serum bilirubin levels or with the duration of the hyperbilirubinemia in the study group.
Heimler
Ruth
R
Department of Pediatrics, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA.
Sasidharan
Ponthenkandath
P
D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology; D002657:Child Development / Q000502:physiology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D034381:Hearing Loss / Q000175:diagnosis*; D006801:Humans; D006932:Hyperbilirubinemia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010359:Patient Readmission; D012720:Severity of Illness Index
D001663:Bilirubin