Unbound Bilirubin and Acute Bilirubin Encephalopathy in Infants Born Late Preterm and Term with Significant Hyperbilirubinemia

To compare the association of unbound bilirubin (UB), total serum bilirubin (TSB), and bilirubin:albumin molar ratio (BAMR) with acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE), as assessed by bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND) score, in infants with significant hyperbilirubinemia (TSB ≥20 mg/dL or underwent exchange transfusion). In this prospective cohort study, infants ≥34 weeks of gestational age with significant hyperbilirubinemia during the first 2 postnatal weeks were eligible, unless they had craniofacial malformations, chromosomal disorders, TORCH (toxoplasmosis, other infections, rubella, cytomegalovirus and herpes simplex) infections, surgery, or a family history of congenital deafness. TSB, serum albumin, and UB were measured at hospital admission using the colorimetric, bromocresol green, and modified peroxidase method, respectively. Infants were evaluated on admission for ABE using a standardized neurologic examination and assigned a BIND score by trained physicians. Infants with a total BIND score of 0 were deemed to not have ABE, whereas those with a score ≥1 were deemed to have ABE. A total of 151 infants were studied, among whom 37 (24.5%) had ABE. Of these, 19 had mild ABE (BIND score 1-3) and 18 had moderate-to-severe ABE (BIND score 4-9). On logistic regression, UB, but not TSB or BAMR, was associated with ABE (aOR 1.64; 95% CI 1.17-2.3). On ordered logistic regression, UB, but not TSB or BAMR, was associated with severity of ABE (aOR 1.76; 95% CI 1.28-2.4). Our findings of the association between UB and ABE indicate that BIND scoring may be useful for evaluation of ABE in infants ≥34 weeks of gestational age.