TITLE:
Jaundice in the Newborn at the Teaching Hospital of Brazzaville
AUTHORS:
Gaston Ekouya Bowassa, Giresse Tsouassa Wa Ngono, Neli Yvette Ngakengni, Engoba Moyen, Koumou Onanga, Steve Missambou Mandilou, Georges Moyen
KEYWORDS:
Jaundice, Neonatal, Phototherapy, Bilirubin Encephalopathy
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.9 No.2,
May
8,
2019
ABSTRACT: Introduction: Jaundice is a major symptom during neonatal time. It is defined by a bilirubin ≥ 50 mg/l. Objectives: To determine
the frequency of neonatal jaundice at the Brazzaville University Hospital, to
determine the main etiologies, to evaluate the management, to specify the
evolution. Patients and Method: It was a prospective and descriptive
study that was conducted in the Neonatology Department and Biochemistry
Laboratory of the University Hospital of Brazzaville, from 1st August 2015 to 31st July 2016. It included newborn children admitted
into the neonatal unit for treatment of jaundice. The variables studied were
epidemiological, clinical, etiological therapy and outcome. Results: The
frequency of the neonatal jaundice is
7.2%. The hyperbilirubinemia as not conjugated was found in 99.1% of cases. The
main causes are bacterial neonatal infection n = 102 (47.9%), the physiological
icterus n = 46 (21.6%) and the ABO incompatibility n = 40 (18.8%). The
treatment consists of the phototherapy in all cases. Each phototherapy session
lasts 3 hours n = 99 (56.9%), 6 hours n = 58 (33.3%) and 12 hours n = 17
(9.8%). The average duration of the administering of the therapy is of 3 ± 2
days. Hyperbilirubinemia encephalopathy occurred in 62 (29.1%) cases, including 49 cases of
kernicterus. The death occurred in 70 (32.9%) children. Conclusion: The
importance and the gravity of the neonatal jaundice require primary preventive means based on proper care in pregnancy and the birth. While the secondary prevention
includes high index of suspicion, comprehensive
diagnostic equipment availability to prevent acute bilirubin encephalopathy.