title: [Relationship between apnea and hyperbilirubinemia in premature infants].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore the association between hyperbilirubinemia and apnea in premature infants.
  
  
  METHODS
  Premature infants with apnea and birth weight >1500 g were tested for the heart rate, serum level of bilirubin, saturation of blood oxygen (SO₂) and partial pressure of oxygen (PO₂) before and after treatment, with term infants serving as the control. A comparative analyses of the serum level of bilirubin, SO₂ and PO₂ were carried out in the premature infants with birth weight <1500 g suffering apneic syndrome or not on the first and third days after birth.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the premature and term infants with apnea and birth weight <1500 g, 92.5% and 70.00% showed increased serum level of indirect bilirubin (IBIL), respectively. The infants with birth weight <1500 g who presented the syndrome of apnea on the first day after birth had significantly higher levels of IBIL than those without an apparent syndrome of apnea. A three-day conventional therapy resulted in an obvious improvement of apneic syndrome and lowered bilirubin level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Increased bilirubin level can be one of the reasons for the development of apnea in premature infants, and therapies for reducing bilirubin level can ameliorate the syndrome of apnea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Baiyun District, Guangzhou 510400, China. lenlenlen@163.com
authors.forename: Lan-mei
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Hong
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hong
authors.forename: Li-xin
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Li-xia
authors.initials: LX
authors.lastname: Ye
authors.forename: Jian-bin
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Huang
authors.forename: Zhi-tao
authors.initials: ZT
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Ying-na
authors.initials: YN
authors.lastname: Liang
authors.forename: Han
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Jian
mesh_terms: D001049:Apnea / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006932:Hyperbilirubinemia / Q000150:complications*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D008297:Male
chemical_list: D001663:Bilirubin