ArticlePediatric research2025
Skin color influences transcutaneous bilirubin measurements: a systematic in vitro evaluation.
Article in Pediatric research, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 15 citations in OpenAlex.
- [Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of common neonatal diseases in primary healthcare institutions: neonatal jaundice (2025)].Zhongguo dang dai er ke za zhi = Chinese journal of contemporary pediatrics · 2025Guideline
- Trial
- Impact of skin pigmentation on photoacoustic tomography: a phantom study.Biophotonics discovery · 2026Article
- Skin reflectance changes in Kenyan neonates during the first month of life: an observational study.Pediatric research · 2026Observational
- Assessing Clinical Deterioration in Children With Dark-Coloured Skin: A Scoping Review.Journal of clinical nursing · 2026Article
- Point-of-Care Bilirubin Testing in Neonates: Comparative Performance of Blood Gas Analysis and Transcutaneous Bilirubinometry.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Advances in laboratory diagnosis of neonatal hyperbilirubinemia and peculiarities in plateau regions: a review of evidence.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2026Review
- Wearable Multispectral Sensor for Newborn Jaundice Monitoring.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Bilisense: An affordable sensor for on-site diagnosis of jaundice and prevention of kernicterus.Biosensors & bioelectronics · 2025Article
- Effect of skin color and other skin properties on the delivered light dose in phototherapy for neonatal hyperbilirubinemia.Biophotonics discovery · 2025Article
- Cumulative Ambient Light Exposure Affects Outpatient Transcutaneous Bilirubinometer Readings.Children (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Clinical evaluation of the installation conditions and accuracy of wearable neonatal jaundice meter.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Science for Kids: Skin color influences transcutaneous bilirubin measurements: a systematic in vitro evaluation.Pediatric research · 2025Article
- Assessing accuracy of BiliPredics algorithm in predicting individual bilirubin progression in neonates-results from a prospective multi-center study.Frontiers in digital health · 2025Article
- Correlation of transcutaneous and serum bilirubin levels in late preterm and term neonates at a tertiary care center in south India.F1000Research · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveConcerns have been raised about the effect of skin color on the accuracy of transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) measurements, a widely used method for hyperbilirubinemia diagnosis in newborns. Literature is inconclusive, with both reported under- and overestimations of the TcB with increasing skin pigmentation. Therefore, the influence of skin color on TcB measurements was systematically evaluated in a controlled, in vitro setting.
methodsA bilirubin meter (JM-105) was evaluated on layered phantoms that mimic neonatal skin with varying dermal bilirubin concentrations (0-250 µmol/L) and varying epidermal melanosome volume fractions (0-40%; light-dark skin color).
resultsTcB measurements were influenced by skin pigmentation. Larger mimicked melanosome volume fractions and higher bilirubin levels led to larger underestimations of the measured TcB, compared to an unpigmented epidermis. In the in vitro setting of this study, these underestimations amounted to 26-132 µmol/L at a TcB level of 250 µmol/L.
conclusionThis in vitro study provides insight into the effect of skin color on TcB measurements: the TcB is underestimated as skin pigmentation increases and this effect becomes more pronounced at higher bilirubin levels. Our results highlight the need for improved TcB meter design and cautious interpretation of TcB readings on newborns with dark skin. IMPACT: Key message: Skin color influences transcutaneous bilirubin measurements: the darker the skin, the larger the underestimation. What this study adds to existing literature: Existing literature is inconclusive regarding the influence of skin color on transcutaneous bilirubin measurements. This study systematically evaluates and clarifies the influence of skin color on transcutaneous bilirubin measurements in a controlled, in vitro setting. IMPACT: This study aids to better interpret the measured TcB level in patients with varying skin colors, and is particularly important when using TcB meters on patients with dark skin colors.
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