title: Plasma ferritin, premature rupture of membranes, and pregnancy outcome.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objective of this study was to determine whether plasma ferritin levels predict maternal or neonatal outcomes in women with preterm rupture of membranes at <32 weeks' gestation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma from 223 women with premature rupture of membranes at <32 weeks' gestation who had participated in a randomized antibiotic trial were analyzed for ferritin at random assignment and at delivery, and the results were compared with the development of clinical chorioamnionitis, latency until delivery, neonatal sepsis, and a composite adverse neonatal outcome variable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean plasma ferritin level rose from 19.2 +/- 29.1 microgram/L on admission to 38.3 +/- 54.3 microgram/L at delivery, with a mean latency of 9.3 +/- 14.6 days. Plasma ferritin levels were significantly higher at both times in mothers whose infants acquired sepsis than in those whose infants did not, especially at delivery (68.5 +/- 96.3 microgram/L vs 32.5 +/- 40.5 microgram/L, P =.01), and neonatal sepsis was 2 to 3 times more common among women with plasma ferritin levels above the median than among those with levels below the median.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among women with premature rupture of membranes at <32 weeks' gestation, plasma ferritin levels were significantly associated with neonatal sepsis. These data suggest that higher plasma ferritin levels may serve as a marker of infection among women with premature rupture of membranes; however, the clinical utility of plasma ferritin levels in predicting neonatal outcome appears limited.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units Network, Bethesda, MD, USA.
authors.forename: R L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Goldenberg
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Mercer
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miodovnik
authors.forename: G R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Thurnau
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Meis
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moawad
authors.forename: R H
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: S F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Bottoms
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Das
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: McNellis
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002821:Chorioamnionitis; D005260:Female; D005293:Ferritins / Q000097:blood*; D005322:Premature Rupture of Fetal Membranes / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000097:blood; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012372:ROC Curve; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D018805:Sepsis
chemical_list: D005293:Ferritins