Neonatal jaundice is typified as yellowish discoloration of the skin, conjunctiva and the sclera from elevated serum or plasma bilirubin in the newborn. Though it is usually presented with higher risk of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), it is yet unknown whether the association is affected by genetic and other familial factors. In this present study, the association between neonatal jaundice and ADHD was evaluated while considering familial factors.

All singleton births without congenital malformations were identified between 1992 and 2000 and followed up until 2009. Hazard ratios (HRs) for the association between neonatal jaundice and ADHD were examined, adjusting for pregnancy, delivery and neonatal characteristics, such as prematurity, and parental age and education. Same analyses were performed among siblings to adjust for shared familial factors.

The outcome suggested that children treated for neonatal jaundice had an augmented risk of ADHD (adjusted HR (aHR): 1.13) at a population level. While comparing the sibling, evidence of no clear association was reported between neonatal jaundice and ADHD (aHR: 1.03).

To conclude, investigators in this large population-based study found no existence of independent association between neonatal jaundice and ADHD within siblings, suggestive of the evidence that interrelationship may be impacted by shared familial factors, like parental genetic and/or lifestyle effects.

Source: Le Ray I, Wang C, Almqvist C, et al. Neonatal jaundice, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and familial effects: A Swedish register study with sibling analysis [published online ahead of print, 2020 Jul 10]. Acta Paediatr. 2020;10.1111/apa.15475.