Jaundice as an early sign of urinary tract infection in newborns

Abstract

Objective: The objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of urinary tract infections (UTIs) in newborns admitted for neonatal jaundice to the neonatal intensive care unit. Material and methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was performed from January 2018 to January 2022. The clinical records of term and preterm newborns up to a corrected age of 41 weeks, whose admission diagnosis was neonatal jaundice and confirmed UTIs, were collected. Results: The records of 385 newborns with jaundice were reviewed; UTI was confirmed in 67 of the 385 patients (17.4%). Three incomplete records were excluded from the study. UTI as a cause of jaundice was more frequent in the 2nd week of life (p = 0.03). The duration of treatment was 11 ± 3 days. The success rate was similar in those who received 7, 10, and 14 days of treatment (p = 0.45). Monotherapy treatment was as effective as a double antibiotic scheme (p = 0.68). Conclusions: According to what was found in our study, one out of six patients with neonatal jaundice presented with UTI. The initial symptom in patients with neonatal jaundice plus UTI was jaundice in eight out of ten newborns. The age of presentation of neonatal jaundice with UTI was most frequent during the 2nd week of life.

Keywords

• Jaundice. Newborn. Urinary tract infection.