Physiologic hyperbilirubinemia in low birth weight newborn infants: relation to gestational age, neonatal weight and intra-uterine growth

Neonatal hyperibilirubinaemia is a real problem for its possible repercussion on the psychomotor development, mainly in low birth weight infants. The Authors studied the physiologic course of bilirubinaemia in 513 low birth weight newborns and then related it to gestational age, birth weight and intrauterine growth. Results obtained show that neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is strictly depending on gestational age, while both the birth weight and the intrauterine growth have no significant influence on its course. Certainly the very low birth weight infants run the higher risk of Kernicterus and brain injury due to hyperbilirubinaemia; they need therefore a quicker therapeutic approach, though the treatment of physiologic hyperbilirubinaemia must always be planned on the basis of gestational age.