[Relationship between apnea and hyperbilirubinemia in premature infants].
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.
Liu
Lan-mei
LM
Department of Pediatrics, Maternal and Child Health Hospital in Baiyun District, Guangzhou 510400, China. lenlenlen@163.com
Hong
Hong
H
Li
Li-xin
LX
Ye
Li-xia
LX
Huang
Jian-bin
JB
Li
Zhi-tao
ZT
Liang
Ying-na
YN
Jian
Han
H
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
D001663:Bilirubin