Hyperbilirubinemia in Preterm Infants Admitted to Neonatal IntensiveCare Units in Ethiopia

摘要

Background. Hyperbilirubinemia is prevalent and protracted inpreterm infants. This study assessed the pattern of hyperbilirubinemia inpreterm infants in Ethiopia. Methods. This study was part ofmulti-centered prospective, cross-sectional, observational study that determinedcauses of death among preterm infants. Jaundice was first identified based onclinical visual assessment. Venous blood was then sent for total and directserum bilirubin level measurements. For this study, a total serum bilirubinlevel ≥5 mg/dL was taken as the cutoff point to diagnose hyperbilirubinemia.Based on the bilirubin level and clinical findings, the final diagnoses ofhyperbilirubinemia and associated complications were made by the physician.Result. A total of 4919 preterm infants were enrolled intothe overall study, and 3852 were admitted to one of the study’s newbornintensive care units. Of these, 1779 (46.2%) infants were diagnosed withhyperbilirubinemia. Ten of these (0.6%) developed acute bilirubinencephalopathy. The prevalence of hyperbilirubinemia was 66.7% among the infantswho were less than 28 weeks of gestation who survived. Rh incompatibility(P = .002), ABO incompatibility(P = .0001), and sepsis (P = .0001) weresignificantly associated with hyperbilirubinemia. Perinatal asphyxia(P-value = 0.0001) was negatively associated withhyperbilirubinemia. Conclusion. The prevalence ofhyperbilirubinemia in preterm babies admitted to neonatal care units in Ethiopiawas high. The major risk factors associated with hyperbilirubinemia in pretermbabies in this study were found to be ABO incompatibility, sepsis, and Rhisoimmunization.