title: Hyperbilirubinemia with urinary tract infection in infants younger than eight weeks old.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hyperbilirubinemia is one of the most common causes for hospital admission in neonatal infants. Previous studies have found that jaundice may be one of the initial symptoms related to urinary tract infection (UTI) in infants. This study is to evaluate the incidence and related factors of neonatal infants with the initial presentation of hyperbilirubinemia and final diagnosis of UTI in a tertiary teaching hospital.
  
  
  METHODS
  We retrospectively investigated the medical records of admitted infants younger than 8 weeks old with hyperbilirubinemia between January and December 2008. The jaundiced infants having tests of urinalysis were enrolled into our study and grouped into UTI or no UTI group according to the findings of urinary culture.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 217 neonatal jaundiced infants were enrolled. Among them, 12 cases (5.5%) were grouped into the UTI group, and the most common cultured bacterium from their urine was Escherichia coli. There was no significant difference in the babies' birth weight, maternal conditions, or total bilirubin levels between the two groups. There was also no significant difference between the two groups in their admission age (9.7 ± 13.5 days vs. 6.1 ± 6.7 days in UTI and no UTI groups, respectively) or the ratio of outpatients (50% vs. 25% in UTI and no UTI groups, respectively) (p > 0.05). The cases of UTI group had significantly lower hemoglobin (15.2 ± 2.7 g/dL vs. 17.2 ± 2.3 g/dL, respectively) and higher formula feeding rate (8.3% vs. 2.9%, respectively) than the no UTI group (p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The incidence of UTI in the admitted infants with hyperbilirubinemia was as high as approximately 5.5%. The most common cultured bacterium in urine was E coli. Therefore, performing urinary tests to exclude the possibility of coincidental UTI may be necessary for admitted jaundiced infants younger than 8 weeks old.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan, ROC.
authors.forename: Hung-Ta
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Mei-Jy
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Jeng
authors.forename: Wen-Jue
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Soong
authors.forename: Chia-Feng
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Pei-Chen
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Tsao
authors.forename: Yu-Sheng
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Shu-Jen
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Ren-Bin
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Tang
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000652:urine; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013624:Taiwan / Q000453:epidemiology; D014552:Urinary Tract Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology