Low blood pressure among very-low-birth-weight infants with fetal vessel inflammation.
OBJECTIVE
To test the hypothesis that fetal vessel inflammation (FVI: funisitis and/or fetal vasculitis) is associated with lower blood pressure (BP) over the first week of life and an increased risk of periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) among premature infants.


METHODS
A total of 255 infants born at <1350 g to normotensive mothers were stratified by gestational age (GA) and grouped by presence/absence of FVI on placental pathology. Daily highest (Hi) and lowest (Lo) systolic BP (BP(sys)), mean BP (BP(mn)) and diastolic BP (BP(dia)) over first 7 days of life were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and regression analysis. Cranial ultrasounds were obtained at 2 weeks of life.


RESULTS
Infants > or =30 weeks gestation with FVI had lower HiBP(sys), HiBP(mn), HiBP(dia), LoBP(sys), LoBP(mn) and LoBP(dia) (p<0.001) than did infants without FVI. Infants with PVL (all < or =27 weeks gestation) had lower LoBP(mn) and LoBP(dia) (p<0.01) than controls. FVI did not increase the risk of PVL in these infants.


CONCLUSIONS
FVI and PVL are associated with reduced BP over the first week of life.
Yanowitz
Toby Debra
TD
Department of Pediatrics, The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, and Magee-Womens Research Institute, PA, USA.
Baker
Robyn Wyman
RW
Roberts
James Michael
JM
Brozanski
Beverly Sobchak
BS
D000367:Age Factors; D001794:Blood Pressure; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D007235:Infant, Premature, Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019102:Infant, Very Low Birth Weight / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014469:Umbilical Arteries; D014471:Umbilical Veins; D014657:Vasculitis / Q000503:physiopathology*