Serum eotaxin-1 is increased in extremely-low-birth-weight infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia or death

Jegen Kandasamy1, Claire Roane1, Alexander Szalai2

  • 1Department of Pediatrics, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.

Pediatric Research
|August 14, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Early inflammation in extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants increases bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) risk. Eotaxin on day 1 helps predict BPD or death in ELBW infants.

Area of Science:

  • Neonatal Medicine
  • Pediatric Pulmonology
  • Biomarker Discovery

Background:

  • Systemic inflammation in extremely-low-birth-weight (ELBW) infants is linked to higher bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) rates.
  • Identifying early predictors of BPD and mortality in ELBW infants is crucial for timely intervention.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify circulating biomarkers for predicting BPD or death in ELBW infants.
  • To develop predictive models for BPD/death using early postnatal biomarkers and clinical data.

Main Methods:

  • Analyzed blood samples from 152 ELBW infants on postnatal day 1 for C-reactive protein (CRP) and 39 cytokines/chemokines.
  • Employed forward stepwise regression and Classification and Regression Tree (CART) analysis using CRP, cytokines, and early clinical variables to identify BPD/death predictors.

Main Results:

  • Birth weight and eotaxin (CCL11) were significant predictors identified by regression analysis.
  • CART analysis revealed FiO2 at 24 hours and eotaxin levels in infants with FiO2 > 28% as key indicators for BPD/death risk.

Conclusions:

  • Eotaxin measured on the day of birth is a valuable biomarker for identifying ELBW infants at risk of BPD or death.
  • Further research is needed to elucidate eotaxin's role in lung injury and BPD pathogenesis.
Abstract