[An update on unconjugated neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia in Denmark]

Abstract

Approximately 60% of term newborn infants are jaundiced during the first week of life, which is caused by unconjugated bilirubin. Bilirubin encephalopathy is seen with severe hyperbilirubinaemia, when unbound bilirubin crosses the blood-brain barrier. The chronic form is called kernicterus spectrum disorder. To avoid this devastating condition, the treatment of choice for neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is phototherapy, which is most efficient with LED light of 478-nm wavelength. In this review, we argue, that a systematic approach to hyperbilirubinaemic infants as well as surveillance of extreme neonatal hyperbilirubinaemia is highly important.