Cord blood albumin as a predictor of neonatal jaundice

Bilirubin can have a toxic effect on the brain, so newborns must be carefully checked to identify those who may develop significant hyperbilirubinemia and bilirubin encephalopathy (kernicterus). The study aimed to determine if cord blood albumin could be utilized to predict the onset of significant newborn jaundice in healthy-term babies.

A cohort study was carried out in AL-Zahraa teaching hospital in AL-Najaf city during the period from January 1 to November 1, 2020. A randomized 100 full-term healthy neonates were enrolled. A blood sample was drawn by milking the cord and sent for serum albumin estimation. Patients were then followed up on the third and fifth days of life for total serum bilirubin (TSB).

Out of 100 healthy-term neonates that were included in this study, 60 of them had low cord blood albumin (<2.8 g/dl), and 40 of them had normal cord blood albumin (≥2.8 g/dl) with an age range of 1-5 days. There is a statistically significant difference between low cord blood albumin and significant neonatal jaundice on the third day with a 5 times more risk of developing significant jaundice than neonates with normal cord blood albumin.

Cord blood albumin levels are sensitive to predicting subsequent neonatal jaundice in the healthy term newborn.