English abstract
abstract: Neonatal jaundice is the yellowish discoloration of the skin and/or sclerae of newborn infants caused
by tissue deposition of bilirubin. Physiological jaundice is mild, unconjugated (indirect-reacting) bilirubinaemia,
and affects nearly all newborns. Physiological jaundice levels typically peak at 5 to 6 mg/dL (86 to 103 μmol/L)
at 72 to 96 hours of age, and do not exceed 17 to 18 mg/dL (291–308 μmol/L). Levels may not peak until seven
days of age in Asian infants, or in infants born at 35 to 37 weeks' gestation. Higher levels of unconjugated
hyperbilirubinaemia are considered pathological and occur in a variety of conditions. The clinical features and
management of unconjugated hyperbilirubinaemia in healthy near-term and term infants, as well as bilirubin
toxicity and the prevention of kernicterus, are reviewed here. The pathogenesis and aetiology of this disorder are
discussed separately.
