Ayesha Waheed, Iqtada Haider Shirazi, Asma Mustafa, Yasir Waheed.
Therapeutic effects of zinc sulphate in reduction of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia: an experimental study.
Pak J Pathol Jan ;30(2):36-9.

Objective:Neonatal hyperbilirubinemia is a common condition affecting 60% of the term and 80% of the preterm neonates. Bilirubin can be neurotoxic, when its concentration rises more than 20mg/dl which occurs in 2% of infants. The most prevalent therapeutic method for managing infantile icterus and preventing its complications is phototherapy and exchange transfusions at higher bilirubin levels. Material and Methods: A quasi experimental study was conducted on 60 neonates with hyperbilirubinemia. They were randomly divided into two groups. Group A (n=30) received zinc sulphate 5mg twice daily for 5 days, in addition to phototherapy. Group B (n=30) received phototherapy. Total serum bilirubin was calculated at 0, 24 and 72 hours for both groups. Results: No significant difference was found in total serum bilirubin at 0, 24 and 72 hours in both groups (p=0.46, 0.39 and 0.20 respectively) Conclusion: Oral zinc sulphate is not effective in the treatment of hyperbilirubinemia in neonates.

PakMediNet -Pakistan's largest Database of Pakistani Medical Journals - http://www.pakmedinet.com