Determinants of Digestive Morbidity in Neonatal Jaundice

The First Hospital of Jilin University3,218 enrolled

Overview

Objective To explore the factors associated with adverse digestive system outcomes in neonates with jaundice. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on clinical data of hospitalized neonates admitted to the Department of Neonatology, the First Hospital of Jilin University, within 7 days after birth from December 2019 to December 2024. Included neonates underwent serum total bilirubin testing, with post-birth serum total bilirubin levels exceeding the high-risk neonatal phototherapy threshold. Propensity score matching and inverse probability weighting were used to group the jaundiced neonates according to the presence or absence of adverse digestive system outcomes. Factors including basic demographic information of the neonates and their mothers, relevant laboratory examinations, and therapeutic interventions were collected. Traditional logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards models were applied to analyze and predict risk factors for adverse digestive system outcomes in jaundiced neonates.

Study Type

OBSERVATIONAL

Enrollment

3,218

Conditions

Digestive

Interventions

Observation (Retrospective Cohort Study)OTHER

This is an observational study. The "intervention" described here refers to the standard diagnostic and therapeutic measures already administered in routine clinical practice for neonatal jaundice. The study retrospectively observes the association between these routine practices (e.g., phototherapy, exchange transfusion, intravenous immunoglobulin administration) and the infants' digestive system outcomes. The research protocol did not actively assign or modify any treatments.

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 1 DayMax age: 28 DaysHealthy volunteers:

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: 1. Neonates admitted to the Department of Neonatology within 7 days after birth. 2. Clinical diagnosis of neonatal jaundice, with a measured serum total bilirubin level exceeding the phototherapy threshold for hyperbilirubinemia. 3. Availability of complete medical records and serum bilirubin test results. 4. Hospitalized at the First Hospital of Jilin University between December 2019 and December 2024. Exclusion Criteria: 1. Major congenital anomalies (e.g., severe gastrointestinal malformations, complex congenital heart disease). 2. Missing essential data for primary outcome or key exposure variables. 3. Length of hospital stay \< 24 hours.

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Adverse Digestive System Outcomes

The presence of any clinically diagnosed adverse digestive outcome during hospitalization, including but not limited to feeding intolerance, necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), cholestasis, or gastrointestinal bleeding.

Time frame: From admission until hospital discharge or 28 days of life, whichever comes first.