The effect of gestational age, birth weight, and disease on troponin I and creatine kinase MB in the first year of life.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the effect of gestational age and birth weight (BW) on troponin I (TnI) and creatine kinase MB fraction (CKMB) levels during the first year of life.


METHODS
Troponin I and CKMB levels were determined in infants less than 1 year of age using the Immuno I (Bayer Corp.).


RESULTS
Troponin I fractions were greatest in the preterm infant; the levels decreased significantly with increasing gestational age and BW, (p = 0.008 and p = 0.005, respectively). The CKMB levels did not exhibit a significant difference between the preterm and term infant groups when assessed for the effects of gestational age or BW (p = 0.12 vs. p = 0.35). Neither TnI nor CKMB levels were significantly different between preterm survivors and nonsurvivors (p = 0.31; p = 0.34, respectively). TnI levels were elevated in critically ill patients without documented myocardial infarction, and without a comparable rise in CKMB.


CONCLUSIONS
The higher TnI levels during the first 3 months of life may indicate programmed cell death, or apoptosis. This may be especially true in the preterm infant in which the greatest values were documented.
Quivers
E S
ES
Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Children's National Medical Center, Washington, DC 20010, USA. equivers@cnmc.org
Murthy
J N
JN
Soldin
S J
SJ
D001724:Birth Weight; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000378:metabolism; D003402:Creatine Kinase / Q000097:blood*; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000378:metabolism; D005865:Gestational Age; D006323:Heart Arrest / Q000378:metabolism; D006561:Herpes Simplex / Q000378:metabolism; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007239:Infections / Q000378:metabolism*; D007527:Isoenzymes; D011014:Pneumonia / Q000378:metabolism; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012016:Reference Values; D018805:Sepsis / Q000378:metabolism; D019210:Troponin I / Q000097:blood*
D007527:Isoenzymes; D019210:Troponin I; D003402:Creatine Kinase