A possible association between neonatal jaundice and long-term maternal lithium ingestion.

Two newborn infants, who developed moderate-to-severe jaundice, were born to a mother who had been taking lithium throughout both pregnancies. Both infants were treated with phototherapy while the second infant also required an exchange blood transfusion. No specific cause for the jaundice was found, raising the possibility that the maternal lithium intake may have contributed to the infants' hyperbilirubinaemia.