الفهرس 
BILIRUBIN PRODUCTION:Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Background: Hyperbilirubinemia is the single most common abnormal
physical finding in the first week of life. Phototherapy plays a significant
role in the treatment and prevention of hyperbilirubinemia in neonates.
This method leads to incidence of some side effects. A lesser known
complication of the phototherapy is hypocalcemia. Some studies showed
that phototherapy induced hypocalcemia occurs due to decreased serum
melatonin concentration. Therefore, this problem can be prevented by
covering the head with the hat.
Objective: to determine the effect of covering the head on phototherapy
induced hypocalcemia in jaundiced newborns.
Method: This study was performed on 124 jaundiced full-term neonates
that were managed with phototherapy and apart from jaundice their
physical examination is completely normal. Serum calcium was checked
on arrival and 48 hours after starting phototherapy. Neonates were
randomized and divided into two groups: group (A) 62 infants under the
routine phototherapy without hats and group (B) 62 infants using hats that
cover occipital area. A comparative study was made between these
groups to determine the effect of hat in prevention of phototherapy
induced hypocalcemia.
Results: 21 infants (16.9 %) developed hypocalcemia after 48 hours of
starting phototherapy. There was significant difference (p= 0.031)
between the incidence of hypocalcemia in group A (without hats) 15
infants (24.2 %) and group B (with hats) during phototherapy 6 infants
(9.7 %).
Conclusion: The study showed that covering the head of infants with hat
during phototherapy was an effective, safe, non-invasive, and cheap
method for prevention of phototherapy induced hypocalcemia.
Key words: Hat, Hypocalcemia, phototherapy, hyperbilirubinemia.