Intermittent Blue Light Therapy Outperforms Continuous Treatment for Neonatal Jaundice: Meta-Analysis
China: A new meta-analysis published in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine provides strong evidence supporting the use of intermittent blue light therapy as an effective and safer approach for managing neonatal jaundice. The study systematically evaluates different blue light treatment methods and offers evidence-based guidance for clinical decision-making.
Lingling Wen and Ruoya Wu from the Department of Neonatology, Wenzhou People’s Hospital, China, analyzed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) from both domestic and international databases, covering publications up to November 2023. Using a rigorous screening process, the team identified 16 high-quality RCTs out of 652 initially retrieved studies. Each study was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool, and statistical analysis was performed with RevMan 5.4.1 to ensure methodological reliability.
The study led to the following findings:
- Intermittent blue light therapy demonstrated a significantly higher overall effective rate compared with continuous blue light treatment, with an odds ratio of 1.82.
- Infants receiving intermittent therapy showed greater reductions in serum bilirubin levels post-treatment than those treated with continuous light.
- Intermittent blue light therapy shortened the time required for jaundice resolution, leading to faster recovery in newborns.
- The incidence of adverse reactions, including skin rashes, overheating, or dehydration, was lower in infants receiving intermittent therapy, with an odds ratio of 0.27.
- Overall, intermittent blue light therapy was more effective and safer than continuous blue light treatment.
Sensitivity analyses confirmed that the results remained stable even when the study with the greatest statistical weight was excluded, reinforcing the robustness of the findings. However, the authors noted indications of potential publication bias based on the funnel plot assessment.
Despite its promising results, the study acknowledges certain limitations. The relatively small number of included RCTs could affect the strength of the conclusions. Additionally, although the included studies were generally of moderate quality, elements of bias cannot be entirely ruled out. Some variability was also seen in adverse reaction rates, indicating that more research is needed to fully understand these differences.
The authors emphasize that while intermittent blue light therapy appears highly effective, larger and more rigorously designed studies are essential to validate these conclusions further. Future research should also consider factors such as differences in infant age, disease severity, and long-term follow-up outcomes.
"Overall, the meta-analysis positions intermittent blue light therapy as a valuable option in the clinical management of neonatal jaundice. Clinicians are encouraged to tailor treatment approaches based on individual patient needs and emerging evidence to maximize therapeutic success and safety," the authors concluded.
Reference:
Wu, R., & Wen, L. (2024). Meta-analysis of the efficacy of different blue light therapy methods for neonatal jaundice. The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine, 38(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/14767058.2024.2430649
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