DAYTIME PHOTOTHERAPY FOR
CRIGLER NAJJAR SYNDROME (CNS)

LIFE STYLE ADVANTAGES OF SIT-UP LIGHTS

Using sit-up lights, problems of sleeping under lights are eliminated. Siblings can share a bedroom with a CNS child. While having daytime phototherapy, CNS people can read, watch television, do school homework and eat. Because sleeping is normal, children can sleep-over at grandparents or friends homes.

Whether a child will sit in the lights depends on the age and temperament of child and the extent to which he or she can be entertained. For the time required, a parent, sibling or friend may devote himself or herself to entertaining a young child. Indeed, parents may much prefer this to the disturbed sleep that many have with CN children. We have found that, for children over 5 years, parents are often able to reason with them on the basis that sitting in the lights for one or two short periods daily allows them to sleep with pyjamas and bedclothes at night.

As a child gets older any difficulties in getting a child to sit for daytime phototherapy normally reduces. For most adults sitting in the light box while being involved in other activities such as reading or watching television, is not a heavy burden. It is preferable to having single sided phototherapy in bed for many more hours.

Because of the relative success of night phototherapy for children, more and more CNS people are reaching late teens and adulthood. At this stage most people do not want to sleep alone and night phototherapy becomes unacceptable. At present the only CNS cure available is a liver transplant, which is by no means an easy longer-term option.

For many adults sitting in a light box for one to three hours (depending on the seriousness of their CNS) while reading, using a computer or watching television may not be an unacceptable burden. The one to three hours can be made up in more than one session. It may well be preferable to having a liver transplant.

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Copyright 2006.