n. in neuropathology, refers to an acquired metabolic disease caused by the toxic presence and effects of the bile pigment, bilirubin. It is degenerative to the brain due to the deposition of bilirubin in both basal ganglia and brainstem nuclei. As such, it can potentially cause brain damage among newborns.
BILIRUBIN ENCEPHALOPATHY: “Bilirubin encephalopathy is an acquired metabolic disease which can affect babies during their neonatal (newborn) stage.”