DAYTIME PHOTOTHERAPY FOR
CRIGLER NAJJAR SYNDROME (CNS)

OTHER ADVANTAGES OF SIT-UP LIGHTS

Very intensive daytime phototherapy has several other advantages. These include

Fatigue
Lauren does not have fatigue as has been reported with a number of CNS people. This may be because she sleeps normally and well.

Energy Usage
Energy costs for lighting and room heating are greatly reduced.

Tube Deterioration
With light tubes only being used for a short period each day they do not need to be changed frequently. Generally 1000 to 1200 operating hours is regarded as a guide for changing tubes, providing they are kept cool. With Laurens lights, the tubes are fan cooled and, at an average use of one hour per day will last 3 years.

Safety Factor for Illness
The effectiveness of the phototherapy is such that, if bilirubin rises because of external factors such as illness, the system has capacity to reduce bilirubin fairly quickly by extending the time in the lights. This provides an additional safety factor.

Gallstones
Many CNPs have had problems with the development of gallstones. Phototherapy changes bilirubin into water-soluble photo-bilirubin products and allows their transfer into the bile from where they are excreted from the body.

During night phototherapy the CNS person normally does not eat, drink or expel waste.
It is hypothesised that, because of this, relatively unstable photo-bilirubin products revert to normal water-insoluble bilirubin and precipitate. This is the basis for the formation of gallstones.

Day phototherapy avoids these problems. The user can drink and eat during phototherapy. Because of the short duration, there is no interruption to normal elimination of waste. Photo-bilirubin is promptly removed before a significant amount can precipitate the formation of gallstones.

Certainly Lauren who has not had night phototherapy since she was five has not had gallstone problems.

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