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Gestational age, sex and maternal parity correlate with bone turnover in premature infants

Hany Aly1, Mohamed F Moustafa, Hanna A Amer

  • 1Neonatalogy Department, the George Washington University & the Children's National Medical Center, Washington DC 20037, USA. haly@mfa.gwu.edu

Pediatric Research
|March 19, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Bone formation in premature infants is influenced by gender, maternal parity, and diabetes. Bone resorption is primarily dependent on gestational age, highlighting unique factors in preterm bone health.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Endocrinology
  • Skeletal Biology

Background:

  • Bone turnover in premature infants differs significantly from older age groups.
  • Understanding factors influencing fetal bone development is crucial for neonatal care.
  • Current knowledge on preterm infant bone metabolism is incomplete.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify fetal and maternal factors affecting bone turnover in premature infants.
  • To assess bone formation and resorption markers in preterm versus full-term neonates.
  • To correlate biochemical markers with infant and maternal characteristics.

Main Methods:

  • Prospective study of 50 infants (30 preterm, 20 full-term).
  • Measurement of serum type I collagen C-terminal propeptide (PICP) for bone formation.
  • Measurement of urinary pyridinoline cross-links of collagen (Pyd) for bone resorption.
  • Analysis of maternal and infant data including gestational age, gender, parity, and medical history.

Main Results:

  • Serum PICP was significantly higher in premature infants and male infants.
  • PICP correlated positively with infant gender and maternal diabetes, and negatively with maternal parity.
  • Urinary Pyd showed a trend towards increase in preterm infants and correlated significantly with gestational age.

Conclusions:

  • Bone formation (PICP) in neonates is influenced by gestational age, infant gender, maternal parity, and maternal diabetes.
  • Bone resorption (Pyd) is primarily dependent on gestational age.
  • These findings underscore the distinct physiological factors governing bone metabolism in premature infants.

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