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Transient familial hyperbilirubinemia

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• Symptoms
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Definition:

Transient familial hyperbilirubinemia is a metabolic disorder passed down through families. Babies with this disorder are born with severe jaundice .

Alternative Names:

Lucey-Driscol syndrome

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Transient familial hyperbilirubinemia is thought to be an autosomal recessive inherited disorder. It occurs when the body does not properly break down (metabolize) a certain form of bilirubin . Bilirubin levels rapidly build up in the body. The high levels are poisonous to the brain and can cause death.

• Review Date: 7/25/2007
• Reviewed By: Chad Haldeman-Englert, MD, Division of Human Genetics, Children's Hospitalof Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.

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