ABSTRACT
Antenatal carnitine administration has been shown to induce fetal lung maturity by
increasing pulmonary surfactant in animal and human studies. The aim of this study
was to investigate serum free carnitine (FC) levels in preterm infants with respiratory
distress syndrome (RDS) and controls during the first week of postnatal life. The
study groups consisted of 76 preterm infants with gestational ages ranging from 28
to 36 weeks, and birthweights ranging from 1046 to 2352 g. Serum FC levels were measured
in preterm infants (group A, 37 with RDS; group B, 39 controls without RDS) within
the first 6 hours after birth, on days 3 and 7. For specific analyses, serum FC levels
were determined for gestational ages 28 to 31 weeks and 32 to 36 weeks in both groups.
Initial FC levels were decreased insignificantly in group A (22.5 ± 7.3 μmol/L) compared
with group B (23.5 ± 6.8 μmol/L; p > 0.05). On days 3 and 7 of life, serum FC levels were significantly lower in group
A (18.3 ± 6.1 and 10.2 ± 3.3 μmol/L, respectively) than in group B (23.4 ± 7.1 and
22.8 ± 3.7 μmol/L, respectively; p < 0.05 and p < 0.05, respectively) on days 3 and 7 of life, respectively. Serum FC level remained
stable in the non-RDS group (p > 0.05), but it decreased significantly in the RDS group during the first week of
postnatal life (p < 0.05). No differences were seen between the corresponding gestational age groups.
Serum FC levels in RDS infants decreased from days 1 to 7. Decreased neonatal serum
carnitine levels in preterm infants with RDS during the first week of life might be
caused by increasing consumption of carnitine in lung tissue for surfactant synthesis.
KEYWORDS
Carnitine - respiratory distress syndrome - preterm - first week of life
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Esad KokluM.D.
Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, Erciyes University, School of Medicine
38039 Kayseri, Turkey
