Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 Feb 13:11:1001141.
doi: 10.3389/fped.2023.1001141. eCollection 2023.

Management challenges in the treatment of severe hyperbilirubinemia in low- and middle-income countries: Encouraging advancements, remaining gaps, and future opportunities

Katherine M Satrom  1 , Zubaida L Farouk  2   3 , Tina M Slusher  4   5
Affiliations
Review

Management challenges in the treatment of severe hyperbilirubinemia in low- and middle-income countries: Encouraging advancements, remaining gaps, and future opportunities

Katherine M Satrom et al. Front Pediatr. .

Erratum in

Abstract

Neonatal jaundice (NJ) is common in newborn infants. Severe NJ (SNJ) has potentially negative neurological sequelae that are largely preventable in high resource settings if timely diagnosis and treatment are provided. Advancements in NJ care in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) have been made over recent years, especially with respect to an emphasis on parental education about the disease and technological advancements for improved diagnosis and treatment. Challenges remain, however, due to lack of routine screening for SNJ risk factors, fragmented medical infrastructure, and lack of culturally appropriate and regionally specific treatment guidelines. This article highlights both encouraging advancements in NJ care as well as remaining gaps. Opportunities are identified for future work in eliminating the gaps in NJ care and preventing death and disability related to SNJ around the globe.

Keywords: G6PD deficiency; hyperbilirubinemia; kernicterus; low- and middle-income countries (LMIC); neonatal jaundice; phototherapy.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

References

    1. Burke BL, Robbins JM, Bird TM, Hobbs CA, Nesmith C, Tilford JM. Trends in hospitalizations for neonatal jaundice and kernicterus in the United States, 1988–2005. Pediatrics. (2009) 123(2):524–32. 10.1542/peds.2007-2915 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Bhutani VK, Stark AR, Lazzeroni LC, Poland R, Gourley GR, Kazmierczak S, et al. Predischarge screening for severe neonatal hyperbilirubinemia identifies infants who need phototherapy. J Pediatr. (2013) 162(3):477–82.e1. 10.1016/j.jpeds.2012.08.022 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Keren R, Tremont K, Luan X, Cnaan A. Visual assessment of jaundice in term and late preterm infants. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal Ed. (2009) 94(5):F317–22. 10.1136/adc.2008.150714 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Dennery PA, Seidman DS, Stevenson DK. Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. N Engl J Med. (2001) 344(8):581–90. 10.1056/NEJM200102223440807 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Stevenson DK, Maisels MJ, Watchko J. Care of the jaundiced neonate. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical; (2012).