A study analyzing the risk factors associated with neonatal jaundice, a common symptom in hemolytic disease of the fetus and newborn (HDFN), was recently published in PLOS ONE.
Due to the high burden of neonatal jaundice in developing countries, the authors aimed to examine the determinants of neonatal jaundice at a hospital in Ghana. The study included data from over 200 newborns diagnosed with jaundice.
What is jaundice?
Jaundice is a medical term that describes the yellowish discoloration of the skin and eyes due to elevated bilirubin levels (hyperbilirubinemia). In newborns, jaundice can have several causes, ranging from HDFN and infections to physiological and transient elevations.
The authors observed that just over half of newborns included in the study (57%) were born after 36 weeks of gestation, with less than 45% being born preterm. Approximately 55% had a normal birth weight, 45% had a low birth weight and 4% were macrosomic (had an abnormally high birth weight). Most of the patients in the study developed jaundice within the first 24 hours after birth.
Learn more about HDFN symptoms and risks
Age at admission may be linked to jaundice severity
Results showed that patients who developed jaundice within 24 hours after birth were less likely to have severe jaundice than those admitted after the first day of life. According to the statistical analysis, newborns who presented with jaundice more than 24 hours after birth were three times more likely to have a severe form of the disease.
G6PD enzyme deficiency was more frequent than expected
Deficiency in G6PD, the enzyme responsible for conjugating bilirubin in the liver, was more frequent than expected, representing approximately 10% of all cases. In comparison, global statistics suggest that G6PD deficiency is responsible for only 5% of cases.
“Neonatal screening for G6PD, in addition to maternal and neonatal blood grouping (ABO, Rhesus) tests, and the inclusion of signs, symptoms, and preventive measures of neonatal jaundice in antenatal booklets, will be important for reducing the incidence of severe neonatal jaundice at health centres in Ghana,” the authors concluded.
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