17-Hydroxyprogesterone in premature infants as a marker of intrauterine stress
- 1 January 2008
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Walter de Gruyter GmbH in jpme
- Vol. 36 (2), 157-160
- https://doi.org/10.1515/jpm.2008.013
Abstract
Amniotic infection (AI) and preeclampsia (PE), which are commonly the reason for prematurity, inflict stress of different duration on immature fetuses. Whether chronic stress, as reflected by intrauterine growth retardation, influences the level of 17-OH progesterone (17-OHP), was not previously examined.We analyzed 17-OHP and TSH levels during neonatal screenings in the first hours of life of 90 premature infants born between 25 and 33 weeks of gestation in infants with AI (n=37) or with PE (n=53). Control of acute stress parameters was derived from umbilical arterial cord blood pH and base excess (BE).Mean 17-OHP levels of infants born to mothers with PE were 85.7 nmol/L compared to 54.6 nmol/L (P<0.001) in AI infants. 17-OHP was even higher when intrauterine growth restriction was present (99.8 nmol/L). Antenatal steroids and mode of delivery did not significantly affect 17-OHP levels.Stress of relatively long duration, as in cases of PE, leads to a significant increase of 17-OHP level in preterm infants. The postnatal 17-OHP level may be considered as a measure for severity of intrauterine stress and might be used as an individualized indicator for earlier intensive care.Keywords
This publication has 28 references indexed in Scilit:
- Frequency and potential cause of bronchus‐associated lymphoid tissue in fetal lungsPediatric Allergy and Immunology, 2005
- Effect of Single and Multiple Courses of Prenatal Corticosteroids on 17-Hydroxyprogesterone Levels: Implication for Neonatal Screening of Congenital Adrenal HyperplasiaPediatric Research, 2004
- The pulmonary paradox in premature infants: in-utero infected lungs do better than those with accelerated maturationjpme, 2004
- Fetal Growth and the Function of the Adrenal Cortex in Preterm InfantsJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2002
- Neonatal screening program for congenital adrenal hyperplasia: adjustments to the recall protocol.Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 2001
- Fetal Endocrine Signals and Preterm LaborNeonatology, 2001
- Effects of Maternal Infections on Fetal Adrenal Steroid ProductionEndocrine Research, 1999
- Thyroid hormone concentrations in preterm infants born to pre-eclamptic women with placental insufficiencyActa Paediatrica, 1998
- Fetal and maternal endocrine responses to experimental intrauterine infection in rhesus monkeysAmerican Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 1996
- Antenatal betamethasone therapy: Effects on maternal, fetal, and neonatal mineralocorticoids, glucocorticoids, and progestinsThe Journal of Pediatrics, 1986