A STUDY OF NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL IN THE NORTH EASTERN REGION OF INDIA

Neonatal jaundice is yellow colouration of the skin and the sclera of newborn babies due to accumulation of bilirubin. This is associated with hyperbilirubinaemia, a condition where bilirubin level is raised in the circulation. Objectives: To assess the etiological factors of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and therapeutic interventions in a tertiary care hospital in the north eastern region of India. Methods: A prospective cohort study was carried out in the Department of Biochemistry, Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), Imphal, Manipur for a period of two years. One hundred fifty newborns with jaundice aged up to 28 days, both term and preterm were included in this study. Careful clinical assessments were done to assess the possible etiologies. Serum bilirubin was determined by colorimetric method as described by Jendrassik and Grof [12]. Monitoring of serum bilirubin was done by serial measurements once a day in the morning. Results: Significant hyperbilirubinemia (TSB>15mg %) was seen in 58 (38.7%) neonates while 92 (61.3%) had TSB