Hyperbilirubinemia in Neonatal Intensive Care Unit: Incidence And Etiology at Fayoum University Hospital.

Although most of newborns develop some degree of jaundice, bilirubin levels high enough to put a newborn at risk of bilirubin encephalopathy and kernicterus are rare but still occur in Egypt. The aim of current study was to assess the magnitude of neonatal jaundice and detect possible etiologies. This study included prospective analysis of the data of all jaundiced cases admitted to NICU of Fayoum University Hospital during the period from the first of july 2017 to the end of June 2018 (one year) . In the study period, among 366 patients admitted to the NICU, there were 167 patients having neonatal jaundice who were admitted to neonatal intensive care unit with a mean age of 5.96± 3.88 days and a mean weight of 2940± 390 grams. They represented 45.6 % of all cases admitted in the period of study. The mean total bilirubin level at day of presentation was 19.89 ± 4.85 mg/dl. It was found that ABO incompatibility, Rh incompatibility and G6PD deficiency (29.9%, 8.4% and 1.8% respectively) are the main causes of indirect hyperbilirubinaemia. In 56.3% of cases the cause was exaggerated physiological. Phototherapy was the only therapy in 56.3% of cases while 32.9% required Intensive photo (Bilisphere) and 10.8 % required exchange transfusion.