Amniotic fluid infections, neonatal hyperbilirubinemia, and psychomotor impairment.

A large prospective study found that infants born with evidence of recent amniotic fluid infections subsequently had an increased frequency of mental, motor, visual, and hearing impairment. These infections also potentiated the neurotoxicity of neonatla hyperbilirubinemia. This potentiation of bilirubin neurotoxicity of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia. This potentiation of bilirububin neurotoxicity increases with the severity of the amniotic fluid infections. With or without such infections, an increased frequency of long-term mild mental retardation started at peak neonatal bilirubin levels of only 7 mg/dl in both term and preterm infants. Significant neurologic abnormalities began at peak bilirubin levels of 12 to 13 mg/dl.