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Incidence and causes of hyperbilirubinaemia in a hospital population With particular reference to blood transfusion
Author(s) -
Isbister James P.,
Soyer Anthony
Publication year - 1982
Publication title -
medical journal of australia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.904
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1326-5377
pISSN - 0025-729X
DOI - 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1982.tb132294.x
Subject(s) - incidence (geometry) , medicine , population , blood transfusion , pediatrics , disease , european population , intensive care medicine , surgery , environmental health , physics , optics
We surveyed a large hospital population of patients to establish the incidence and causes of hyperbilirubinaemia. In a review of 6890 patients, we found an overall incidence of hyperbilirubinaemia of 9%. We reviewed the case histories of 175 patients with hyperbilirubinaemia to analyse the causes and contributory factors. In 22% of patients with hyperbilirubinaemia, hepatobiliary disease was the sole cause and was a contributory cause in another 7%. Disorders of oxygen transport were the single most common cause of hyperbilirubinaemia, being the sole cause in 38% of patients and a contributing cause in a further 9%. Blood transfusion was the sole cause of elevation in bilirubin level in only three patients (1.7%), but was a very significant contributing factor in a further 18%. It is likely that Gilbert's syndrome was a contributing factor in some cases but, as there is no definitive test for diagnosis, clear identification was not possible.