INTRAUTERINE GROWTH AND THE VITAMIN E STATUS OF FULL-TERM AND PRETERM NEWBORNS

ABSTRACT Objective: To determine the concentration of alpha-tocopherol in umbilical cord serum of full-term and preterm newborns, in order to assess the nutritional status of both groups in relation to the vitamin and its possible correlation with intrauterine growth. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study conducted with 140 newborns, of which 64 were preterm and 76 were full-term. They did not have any malformations, they came from healthy mothers, who were nonsmokers, and delivered a single baby. Intrauterine growth was evaluated by weight-to-gestational age at birth, using Intergrowth-21st. Thealpha-tocopherol levels of umbilical cord serum were analyzed by High Performance Liquid Chromatography. Results: The mean concentration of alpha-tocopherol in umbilical cord serum for preterm and full-term infants was 263.3±129.5 and 247.0±147.6 µg/dL (p=0.494). In the preterm group, 23% were small for gestational age, whereas in the full-term group, this percentage was only 7% (p=0.017). Low levels of vitamin E were found in 95.3% of preterm infants and 92.1% of full-term infants. There was no correlation between alpha-tocopherol levels and weight to gestational age Z score (p=0.951). Conclusions: No association was found between alpha-tocopherol levels and weight to gestational age at birth. Intrauterine growth restriction was more frequent in preterm infants and most infants had low levels of vitamin E at the time of delivery.

摘要 研究目的：本研究旨在测定足月儿与早产儿脐带血清中α-生育酚（alpha-tocopherol）的浓度，以评估两组新生儿的维生素营养状况，并探讨其与宫内生长的相关性。研究方法：本研究为横断面观察性研究，共纳入140名新生儿，其中早产儿64名、足月儿76名。所有研究对象均无先天畸形，其母亲均为健康非吸烟者，且为单胎妊娠。采用Intergrowth-21st标准，以出生体重-胎龄比值评估宫内生长情况；通过高效液相色谱法（High Performance Liquid Chromatography）检测脐带血清中的α-生育酚水平。研究结果：早产儿与足月儿脐带血清α-生育酚平均浓度分别为263.3±129.5 μg/dL和247.0±147.6 μg/dL（p=0.494）。早产儿组中23%的新生儿为小于胎龄儿，足月儿组该比例仅为7%（p=0.017）。95.3%的早产儿与92.1%的足月儿存在维生素E水平低下的情况；α-生育酚水平与出生体重-胎龄Z评分无显著相关性（p=0.951）。研究结论：脐带血清α-生育酚水平与出生时体重-胎龄比值无显著关联。宫内生长受限在早产儿中更为常见，且多数新生儿在分娩时存在维生素E水平不足的问题。