Effect of Phototherapy on the Riboflavin Status in Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia

Bang, Young Oak

Abstract

Riboflavin in unstable in light and has a maximum absorption at 450nm. A study was designed to determine whether riboflavin deficiency developed in neonate who received phototherapy with eight day light bulbs for hyperbilirubinemia and to get normal value of activity coefficient of erythrocyte glutathione reductase in neonate. Twenty-seven infants who received phototherapy were investigated. Thirth-eight normal infants without phototherapy served as controls. All the infants of the two groups were fed artificially and then dialy riboflavin intake in each was more than 0.3mg. Riboflavin was determined from the degree of flavin adenine dinucleotide saturation of erythrocyte glutathione reductase, a method shown to reflect riboflavin nutritional status on the neonates. This is expressed as the activity coefficient. The mean activity coefficient of erythrocyte glutathione reductase in control group was 1.15+/-0.16. In phototherapy group, mean activity coefficient of just prior to the initiation and just after cessation of phototherapy were similar with the mean activity coefficient of control group and there was no significant increment of activity coefficient after phototherapy. There was no significant difference between the changes of activity coefficient according to light intensity. And also there was no significnat difference between the changes of activity coefficient according to duration of phototherapy and according to total phototherapeuti cdose.