Biochemical Markers in Umbilical Cord Blood as Predictors of Perinatal Complications

Abstract

Background. During pregnancy inflammatory,metabolic and immunologic disorders that affect differently the fetus,are known. These could be early disorders:abortion,intrauterine growth retardation(IGR),low birth weight and neonatal death; or late disorders: cardiovascular and metabolic disease in adults. To analyze different biochemical parameters(BP) in maternal venous blood(MVB) and umbilical cord blood(UCB) of newborn from healthy mothers and mothers with basal pathologies and associated to gestation that allow the early detection of perinatal complications. Materials and Methods. Samples from MVB(173) and UCB(173) were analyzed. Delivery was by cesarean. Mothers and newborn were classifiedcontrols(C-n=64) and pathological(P-n=109). Maternal pathologies: diabetes,hypertension,anti-phospholipid syndrome,hyper/hypotiroidism,intrahepatic-cholestasis and genital infections. Pathological newborn:IGR and/or fetal distress. BP:Glucose,urea,creatinine,uricacid,bilirubin,proteins,albumin,transaminases(ALT/AST),alkaline-phosphatase,gammaglutamylt ranspeptidase(GGT),creatinkinase,lactatedehydrogenase(LD),iron,calcium,phosphorus,magnesium,sodium,potassium(K),chlori ne,cholesterol,triglycerides,hsCRP were determined by recommended methods-Roche autoanalizer.Student and Mann Witney tests were applied, p<0.05. Results. Pnewborn from P mothers showed significant decrease: in gestation weeks(GW) and newborn weight(NW) with respect to C newborn from C mothers (p:0,001;0.01, respectively); significant increases in K,AST,LD,GGT (p:0,005;0,03;0,03;0,02;respect ively). P mothers related to C mothers showed significant increase in hsCRP(p:0,02). Conclusions. In P newborn from P mothers with respect to C, the decrease in GW and NW would be related to IGR that accompany these pathologies; increases in K,AST,LD,GGT would be related to cellular destruction associated to maternal pathologies and deficit in pulmonary development by IGR, respectively. The increase of hsCRP from P mothers with respect to C mothers would be associated to an inflammatory process. A future study with a greater number of samples and analysis of each maternal pathology,in order to obtain early markers of neonatal damage, is proposed.