Background: Umbilical cord blood is a significant consequence in many improved outcomes and its use for laboratory testing of neonates is an increasingly common practice that has demonstrated benefits. This study aimed to investigate whether cord alkaline phosphatase (ALP), which is an intracellular enzyme found abundantly in red blood cells, could be used for the early prediction of hyperbilirubinemia in newborns. Patient and Methods: The study is a prospective clinical study design, which was carried out in Pediatric Department, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University Hospitals from March 2019 to September 2019. The study included 56 newborns with gestational age between 37 and 42 weeks. The studied newborns were divided into jaundiced group (N=24) and non-jaundiced group (N=32). Cord blood samples were collected for measurement of alkaline Phosphatase levels immediately after birth. ALP and Bilirubin level has been estimated using the automated chemistry analyzer (BT-3500). Neonates were followed-up for the emergence of jaundice and its treatment. ALP was re-estimated after treatments of jaundiced group. Results: The study revealed that there was significant difference in ALP and hemoglobin levels between jaundiced and non jaundiced groups while there was no significant difference between groups cases a regard WBCs or platelets. In addition, there is high significant decrease in ALP after treatment. There was significant correlation between ALP level and Bilirubin level and there is significant negative correlation between ALP and hemoglobin level.
Conclusion: Cord blood alkaline phosphatase level is a useful indicator in predicting subsequent jaundice in healthy term newborns.