[Cholestatic jaundice and hypophosphataemia in parenterally-fed premature infants--coincidence or causal connection? (author's transl)].

A report is presented of the chemical pathological findings in 14 premature and one full-term infant receiving almost exclusively parenteral nutrition during the first two weeks of life. Six infants developed cholestatic jaundice. The underlying diseases were the idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome in 10, gastroschisis in 3 and renal insufficiency in 1, while one was an otherwise healthy small for dates infant. After parenteral nutrition had been discontinued obstructive jaundice cleared by the third month of life except in one infant. Apart from the higher glucose intake during the second week, jaundiced infants principally differed from non-jaundiced infants by the development of significant hypophosphataemia. An attempt was made to correlate aetiologically the presence of cholestatic jaundice with the finding of hypophosphataemia on the possible basis of a disturbance of energy metabolism.