A cross-sectional study to assess the prevalence of jaundice and kernicterus in neonates born in a tertiary care hospital

In this study, the aim was to assess the prevalence of jaundice and kernicterus in a group of neonates born alive in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi, India. In our cross-sectional study of 661 neonates (601 term neonates & 60 preterm neonates), the results showed that almost all neonates had transient unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in the neonatal period, with more than ninety percent affected during their first week of life. The prevalence of physiologic jaundice in neonates was 86.99% (81.24% in term neonates & 5.75% in preterm neonates) and the prevalence of pathologic indirect hyperbilirubinemia in neonates was 13.01% (9.68% in term neonates & 3.33% in preterm neonates). Among these 13.01% neonates with pathologic jaundice, about 3.93% neonates had TSB between 12mg/dL to 14.99mg/dL, 7.87% neonates had TSB between 15mg/dL to 19.99mg/dL and 1.21% neonates had TSB between 20mg/dL to 26mg/dL. In our study, preterm gestation showed a strong association with pathologic indirect hyperbilirubinemia. In our study, no neonate discharged from Rockland Hospital was reported to have kernicterus or cerebral palsy on follow up. Besides, the neonatal mortality rate was zero, in our study.