Efficacy of zinc sulfate in reducing unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia in neonates

ABSTRACT

Hyperbilirubinemia is a common disease and unconjugatedhyperbilirubinemia has been seen mainly in neonates. Severe form ofunconjugated hyperbilirubinemia may cause kernicterus and even death.Conventional treatment for severe unconjugated hyperbilirubinemiaconsists of phototherapy and exchange transfusion that have severalknown disadvantages; specially exchange transfusion is associated witha significant morbidity and even mortality. These harmful effects indicatethe need to develop alternative pharmacological treatment strategies forunconjugated hyperbilirubinemia. One of these pharmacological agents iszinc salts. Zinc has been shown to lower the bilirubin levels by inhibitionof the enterohepatic cycling of unconjugated bilirubin. Oral zinc has beenshown to reduce serum unconjugated bilirubin in animals, adolescentsand low birth weight neonates. However, studies in healthy term neonatesgiven oral zinc showed no reduction in hyperbilirubinemia based ondaily measurement. In order to improve the accuracy, hyperbilirubinemiamay be determined based on measurements every hour. More studies areneeded to know the effect of zinc in neonatal jaundice