Exogenous DHA-S half-life: a good index of intrauterine growth retardation.
E3 and HPL hormone levels in maternal plasma are predictable of adequate birth weight for gestation age (AGA) when their values are higher than the mean for the term of pregnancy, but low values correspond to 'small-for-gestation-age' (SGA) infants in about 50% of the cases only. DHA-S (50 mg i.v.) half-life (DHS-S t 1/2) was calculated by least-squares analysis on the plot of log DHA-S concentration versus time at several intervals. 102 tests were performed in pregnant women between 30 and 41 weeks of amenorrhea (43 control, 59 suspicion of IUGR among them 29 AGA and 20 SGA). The difference between DHA-S t 1/2 is statistically highly significant (p < 0.001) between SGA and the other groups. Evaluation of birth weight was correct in 95 cases (76 normal babies < 4.29 h, and 19 SGA greater than or equal to 4.29 h, showed false-positive results in 6 cases, and false-negative in 1 case. This test has now been included in our routine practice for further evaluation of intrauterine growth retardation.
D001724:Birth Weight; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000175:diagnosis*; D005865:Gestational Age; D006207:Half-Life; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D011714:Pyrans; D011753:Pyrones / Q000378:metabolism
D011714:Pyrans; D011753:Pyrones; C027493:dehydroacetic acid