title: [Hematopoietic growth factors in prevention and therapy of infectious complications in premature and newborn infants].
abstract: Bacterial sepsis continues to be an important cause of morbidity and mortality in neonates. Neutropenia in the newborn, as a result of decreased bone marrow neutrophil storage pool reserves and myeloid committed progenitor cells, increases the risk of sepsis and is associated with a poor prognosis. The hematopoietic colony-stimulating factors G-CSF (granulocyte colony stimulating factor) and GM-CSF (granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor) increase the number of circulating neutrophil number by stimulating neutrophil precursors proliferation. In a number of clinical trials in very low birthweight neonates and in neonates with preeclampsia-associated neonatal neutropenia, both hematopoietic growth factors significantly increased the circulating absolute neutrophil count. However, no larger study showed that prophylactic G-CSF or GM-CSF treatment resulted in a reduction of infectious complications or in an improved overall survival. Similar results were seen in studies evaluating G-CSF and GM-CSF as intervention therapy in septic neonates. Therefore, experts do not recommend the routine use of the expensive growth factors in preterm and term neonates. However, prospective clinical trials are still needed to evaluate whether specific treatment groups will benefit from the use of G-CSF or GM-CSF. In this regard, efforts must be directed at better defining the endpoints and in particular assigning value to reduction in treatment of possible infectious complications, such as days in hospital, antibiotic usage and costs. In addition, randomized studies are required to evaluate the proper dosage and duration of therapy, which most likely will vary between groups of patients.
authors.affiliation: Kinderklinik der Universität Würzburg.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lehrnbecher
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000401:mortality; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D009504:Neutrophils / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D016179:Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor; D016178:Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor