[Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity in a pediatric population]

Serum gamma-glutamyltransferase activity was measured in healthy children from birth (cord blood) up until the age of 15 years. Reference values were established. The résults show that GGT activity in cord blood is inversely proportional to birth weight. It can be up to ten times the normal adult value. These raised values would be explained by the hypothesis of a foetal GGT which disappears during the first week of life. During the first ten days of life, the range of values is so wide that a single estimation of GGT activity cannot be a particular useful diagnostic. The lowest values for GGT activity are found between the ages of two and three: they are lower than in the adult. No difference was detected between the activities measured in boys and girls.