[The incidence of pathological neonatal icterus]

A prospective study of 535 neonates about the incidence of neonatal jaundice on the third day of life revealed a mean (+/- SD) serum total bilirubin concentration of 176.5 +/- 70.I mumol/l (10.3 +/- 4.0 mg/dl). 27.8% of the infants had pathologic jaundice, defined as a serum total bilirubin concentration of 220 mumol/l (12.9 mg/dl) or more. After correction for prematurity en dysmaturity, mean serum total bilirubin concentration was 176.8 +/- 71.8 mumol/l (10.3 +/- 4.2 mg/dl) and 29.0% of the infants showed pathologic jaundice. Except for vacuum extraction, which was accompanied with a significantly increased incidence of pathological jaundice, other perinatal factors were not associated with a significantly increased incidence of pathological jaundice on the third day of life.