The role of cord blood IGF-I levels in preterm osteopenia.
OBJECTIVE
Osteopenia is a frequent condition in preterm infants. This prospective study was designed to assess the relationship between cord blood insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and bone mineralization in healthy premature infants.


METHODS
Twenty preterm infants (ten males and ten females) were studied. We determined the bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of healthy premature infants by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and also studied the correlation between IGF-I and other parameters and the influence of cord blood IGF-I concentrations on bone mineralization in these infants.


RESULTS
The mean concentration of IGF-I was 13.6 +/- 16.9 ng/ml and BMD and BMC were 0.249 +/- 0.06 g/cm2 and 3.09 +/- 1.18 g, respectively. Cord serum levels of IGF-I had significantly positive correlations with BMD (r = 0.605, p = 0.008), but not BMC (r = 0.242, p = 0.367). In stepwise regression analysis, IGF-I emerged as a significant predictor of BMD (beta = 0.595, p = 0.015) contributing to 35.4% of its variability.


CONCLUSIONS
We found a relationship between cord blood IGF-I and BMD in preterm neonates, suggesting that even within an unremarkable population, IGF-I might be important to ensuring bone health.
Atabek
Mehmet Emre
ME
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Endocrinology and Diabetes, School of Medicine, Selcuk University, Konya, Turkey. meatabek@hotmail.com
Pirgon
Ozgur
O
Yorulmaz
Alaaddin
A
Kurtoglu
Selim
S
D015519:Bone Density / Q000502:physiology*; D001851:Bone Diseases, Metabolic / Q000097:blood*; D002113:Calcification, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature / Q000097:blood*; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000032:analysis / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000097:blood*; D012016:Reference Values; D012044:Regression Analysis
D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I