[Excretion of D-glucaric-acid in newborns with non-hemolytic hyperbilirubinemia after phenobarbital treatment (author's transl)].

The excretion of D-glucaric-acid during 24 hours in the urine, which is a measure for the activity of microsomal liver enzymes, was determined in 33 newborns. From 22 newborns with non-hemolytic unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia 11 were treated with 7.5 mg phenobarbital per kilogram bodyweight 5 days and afterwards the excretion of D-glucaric-acid was measured. In contrast to the untreated newborns there was a significant decrease of the bilirubin concentration in the serum and a concomitant increase of the D-glucaric acid excretion from 0,052 mumol/day/kg to 0,388 mumol/day/kg (mean values). A negative correlation (r = -0,51) could be calculated between the bilirubin concentration in the serum and the excretion of D-glucaric-acid after treatment with phenobarbital.