What does this research mean for the field?

Phototherapy induces significant, predominantly asymptomatic reductions in serum calcium, ionized calcium, and magnesium levels in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia, which can be mitigated by head covering, while its effect on vitamin D levels remains inconclusive. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.SYNTHESIS. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To evaluate the impact of phototherapy on circulating levels of vitamin D, total calcium, ionized calcium, and magnesium in newborns treated for hyperbilirubinemia.

September 8, 2026American Journal of Perinatology

Phototherapy for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: Vitamin D, Calcium, and Magnesium: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

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Authors

AGArezoo GhaviIslamic Azad University, Tehran KMKathleen L. MeertCentral Michigan University RRRebecca RenirieCentral Michigan University

Discussion

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis shows phototherapy reduces serum calcium and magnesium in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia, indicating protective head coverings can mitigate decline.

Key Points

To evaluate the impact of phototherapy on circulating levels of vitamin D, total calcium, ionized calcium, and magnesium in newborns treated for hyperbilirubinemia.
Conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following PRISMA 2020 guidelines across PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Medline through June 2025.
Synthesized 53 quantitative studies comprising 5,413 newborns using random-effects models to pool mean differences (MDs) with 95% confidence intervals.
Evaluated risk of bias using RoB 2 and ROBINS-E instruments and rated the certainty of evidence with the GRADE framework.
Phototherapy was associated with significant reductions in serum calcium (MD: −0.66 mg/dL, 95% CI: −0.82 to −0.51; I² = 95.56%), ionized calcium (MD: −0.11 mmol/L, 95% CI: −0.15 to −0.06; I² = 95.63%), and magnesium (MD: −0.70 mg/dL, 95% CI: −1.14 to −0.27; I² = 96.06%) with moderate certainty.
Vitamin D outcomes were inconclusive due to very low-certainty evidence (MD: 2.34 ng/mL, 95% CI: −2.22 to 6.89; I² = 97.39%).
Subgroup analysis demonstrated that head covering significantly attenuated the decline in serum calcium (MD: +0.82 mg/dL, 95% CI: 0.23 to 1.41), while younger age and longer phototherapy duration predicted greater electrolyte loss.

Cite This Study

Ghavi et al. (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a9fd7e758e84d0ff5b46f3e https://doi.org/10.1055/a-2943-4904

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Implication

Systematic review and meta-analysis shows phototherapy reduces serum calcium and magnesium in newborns with hyperbilirubinemia, indicating protective head coverings can mitigate decline.

Phototherapy for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: Vitamin D, Calcium, and Magnesium: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Discussion

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Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

Phototherapy for Neonatal Hyperbilirubinemia: Vitamin D, Calcium, and Magnesium: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Cite This Study

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