There are significant differences in the prevalence and severity of neonatal jaundice among various populations. Recently, it has been reported that a mutation of the UGT1A1 gene, glycine to arginine at codon 71 (G71R), is related to the development of neonatal jaundice in East Asian populations. However, whether the G71R mutation contributes to the high incidence of neonatal jaundice in different Asian populations remains unknown. The authors screened for this mutation in the Javanese-Indonesian and Malay-Malaysian populations.
The Orang Asli are the indigenous population in peninsular Malaysia and are in fact a diverse sub-ethnic group with different languages. Our aim was to collect data on Orang Asli newborns, from western and central Pahang, that were admitted to a general hospital with paediatric specialist services.