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Book

Kernicterus

Dinesh K. Reddy  1 , Shivlal Pandey  2
In: StatPearls [Internet]. Treasure Island (FL): StatPearls Publishing; 2025 Jan.
.
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Book

Kernicterus

Dinesh K. Reddy et al.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

Kernicterus, or bilirubin encephalopathy, is bilirubin-induced neurological damage, which is most commonly seen in infants. It occurs when the unconjugated bilirubin (indirect bilirubin) levels cross 25 mg/dL in the blood from any event leading to decreased elimination and increased production of bilirubin. The unconjugated bilirubin can cross the blood-brain barrier as it is lipid-soluble, unlike the water-soluble conjugated bilirubin. It gets deposited in the brain tissue, mainly the basal ganglia. The neurotoxicity of unconjugated bilirubin leads to various neurologic sequelae.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: Dinesh Reddy declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

Disclosure: Shivlal Pandey declares no relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.

References

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