Bilirubin encephalopathy: changing concepts.

This overview begins with a discussion of clinical approaches to prevent brain damage in jaundiced newborns. Results of longitudinal follow-up studies are given. The main part deals with pathogenesis, whereby bilirubin albumin binding, competition by drugs, bilirubin distribution and equilibration in the body, the increased sensitivity of the infantile nervous system, the mechanism of bilirubin entry into nerve cells and the resulting intracellular damage are emphasized.