Characteristics and outcome of newborn admitted with acute bilirubin encephalopathy to a tertiary neonatal intensive care unit.

Background: Acute bilirubin encephalopathy (ABE) still represents a significant cause of morbidity and mortality throughout the world, especially in developing countries. We aimed to determine the prevalence of ABE based on the Johnson bilirubin-induced neurologic dysfunction (BIND) score and to describe the discharge outcomes.

Methods: We prospectively studied all newborns ≥ 35 weeks with ABE by evaluating signs of mental sensorium, muscle tone, and cry patterns over 1 year.