Inulin clearance in the newborn infant: relationship to gestational and postnatal age

Thirty-eight healthy newborn infants with gestational ages ranging from 25 to 42 weeks were studied at 2 days to 9 weeks postnatal age to evaluate the rate of glomerular maturation after birth. Glomerular function was assessed by a constant infusion method for inulin clearance (Cin). Cin was nearly identical when measured by the traditional clearance method and by the constant infusion technique. The Cin of 22 infants 2-3 days old ranged from 0.6 to 17.9 ml/min and was directly related to gestational age (r = 0.81, P less than 0.001). For 26 infants studied at 1-9 weeks of age, Cin was directly proportional to conceptual (gestational and postnatal) age (r = 0.89, P less than 0.001), and approximated that of infants of similar gestational age studied at 2-3 days of age.