title: Maternal cautopyreiophagia as a rare cause of neonatal hemolysis: a case report.
abstract: Hyperbilirubinemia in the first 24 hours of life in a newborn is pathologic, necessitating additional evaluation. We report the first case of hemolysis and subsequent hyperbilirubinemia in an otherwise normal term neonate resulting from oxidative stress in the form of maternal cautopyreiophagia: the ingestion of burnt matchstick heads. During the third trimester of pregnancy, the infant's mother consumed more than 300 burnt matchstick heads weekly for 4 weeks. Matches contain potassium chlorate, a powerful oxidant that when ingested can ultimately lead to the destruction of erythrocytes, disseminated intravascular coagulation, kidney injury, or death. The infant's bilirubin rose as high as 17 mg/dL at 22 hours of life; however, the infant did well with a brief course of phototherapy. This case highlights the importance of prenatal questioning about maternal ingestion of potentially oxidative substances and assessing the possible risk for the infant.
authors.affiliation: San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Fort Sam Houston, Texas erika.o.bernardo@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Erika O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Bernardo
authors.affiliation: San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Renée I
authors.initials: RI
authors.lastname: Matos
authors.affiliation: San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Taslim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Dawood
authors.affiliation: San Antonio Uniformed Services Health Education Consortium, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Susan L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Whiteway
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001663:Bilirubin / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006461:Hemolysis; D006801:Humans; D006932:Hyperbilirubinemia / Q000097:blood / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000150:complications; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007567:Jaundice, Neonatal / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D016877:Oxidants / Q000009:adverse effects*; D010842:Pica / Q000150:complications*; D011247:Pregnancy
chemical_list: D016877:Oxidants; D001663:Bilirubin
keywords: hemolytic; hyperbilirubinemia; jaundice; matches; matchsticks; newborn; oxidant; oxidizing agent; pica