Cortisol levels in umbilical vein and umbilical artery with or without antenatal corticosteroids.
BACKGROUND
The developmental changes of the umbilical cortisol levels in neonates at gestational age of 23-41 weeks were studied and the effect of antenatal steroid administration on the umbilical cortisol levels were examined.


METHODS
Cortisol levels in the umbilical vein (UV) and the umbilical artery (UA) were studied in 35 neonates at the gestational age (GA) of 23-41 weeks with or without antenatal administration of corticosteroids. Serum cortisol concentrations were measured by the high performance liquid chromatography method.


RESULTS
The correlation between cortisol levels in UV and birthweight (BW) was weak and negative in premature infants. UV cortisol levels in the neonates with antenatal corticosteroid were lower than those in the neonates without antenatal corticosteroid, but the relation was not significant. The developmental changes of UV cortisol levels were the same as those in Murphy's study (spontaneous-onset labor). The cortisol levels in UV and UA had a significantly positive correlation and both had almost equal concentrations. There were no correlations between cortisol levels in UV and placental weight, Apgar Score at 1 and 5 min.


CONCLUSIONS
In the neonates whose birthweight was less than 2000 g without antenatal corticosteroid, there was a negative correlation between cortisol levels in UV and BW but there was no correlation between cortisol levels in UV and GA. That the neonates with antenatal corticosteroid would have a suppressed adrenocortical function after birth could not be proved.
Manabe
Masahiro
M
Department of Pediatrics, Kagawa University, Kagawa 761-0793, Japan. ccm16650@syd.odn.ne.jp
Nishida
Tomoko
T
Imai
Tadashi
T
Kusaka
Takashi
T
Kawada
Kou
K
Okada
Hitoshi
H
Okubo
Kensuke
K
Isobe
Kenichi
K
Itoh
Susumu
S
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001724:Birth Weight; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*; D006801:Humans; D006854:Hydrocortisone / Q000097:blood*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D014469:Umbilical Arteries; D014471:Umbilical Veins
D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D006854:Hydrocortisone