A PROSPECTIVE STUDY TO DETERMINE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN WEIGHT LOSS AND NEONATAL HYPERBILIRUBINEMIA IN NEONATES

Abstract

BACKGROUND Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a frequently encountered issue during the early neonatal period, particularly within the first week of life. Significant levels of bilirubin in the blood are linked to increased weight loss after 72 hours post-birth. Inadequate caloric intake appears to play a significant role in the regulation of serum bilirubin levels.This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the maximum weight loss after birth and the occurrence of significant hyperbilirubinemia during the first week of life. METHODOLOGY This was a Prospective Observational study carried out in 85 newborn healthy term and post term babies delivered at RL Jalappa hospital during the period September 2022 to December 2023. Birth weight and weights at 24, 48, 72, 96 and 120 hours of life were assessed. Total serum bilirubin was assessed on day of significant weight loss. Weight loss and bilirubin values were compared. RESULTS 48 out of 85 babies had significant weight loss on day 4, followed by 28 babies on day 3, 5 babies on day 2 and 4 babies on day 5. Among subjects who had Significant Weight loss on day 3, 85.7% of them had significant hyperbilirubinemia. Among subjects who had significant weight loss on day 4, 70.8% of them had significant hyperbilirubinemia. CONCLUSION Significant weight loss after birth may be a predictor for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, and serve as a helpful clinical indicator pointing towards necessary steps to be taken inorder Page 2 to prevent worsening of this treatable condition which may otherwise lead to devastating complications.