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Prevalence of hypocalcemia, its correlation with duration of phototherapy and persistence in healthy term newborns after intensive phototherapy: A prospective observational hospital-based observational study

Aims and Objectives: The aim is to study the prevalence of hypocalcemia, its correlation with duration of phototherapy and its persistence in health new-borns after intensive phototherapy. Materials and Methods: A prospective hospital-based observation study was conducted on 380 newborns who received intensive phototherapy in Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Pre, post, and at the 10th day after phototherapy calcium levels were estimated in the study neonates. Neonates were observed for clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia during phototherapy treatment and up to 10 days after discharge from hospital. All the data were collected and analyzed for statistical significances in relevant software. Results and Observations: Prevalence of hypocalcemia in this study was 12.63%. Only two infants developed symptomatic hypocalcemia. Statistically significant (P < 0.001) decrease in calcium levels were recorded between pre- and post-phototherapy. However, there was no statistical change in calcium levels when prehototherapy and at the 10th day after phototherapy calcium levels were compared and no baby developed clinical manifestations of hypocalcemia during observation for 10 days. Thus, phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia is short lived without any long-term effect. Duration of phototherapy has negative but not significant correlation with phototherapy-induced change in calcium levels. Conclusion: To conclude, there occurs significant asymptomatic phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia, correlation of this hypocalcemia with duration of phototherapy is negative but insignificant and effect of phototherapy-induced hypocalcemia on long-term outcome of neonates is nil. Thus, calcium therapy is not required in hypocalcemia associated with phototherapy, because it is asymptomatic and recovers of its own.