Cord blood leptin levels in Pakistani newborns: relationship with birth weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the serum leptin levels in cord blood of Pakistani newborns and to ascertain the relationship between serum leptin and anthropometric parameters i.e. birth weight, length and OFC.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study.


METHODS
Lady Dufferin Hospital and Ziauddin Hospital, Karachi from 1999 to 2000.


METHODS
Leptin concentration was measured in 110 newborns of mothers of normal antenatal history from venous cord blood, using Active Elisa Kit (DSL-10-23100). Samples were selected according to availability.


RESULTS
Mean birth weight, length and occipitofrontal circumference (OFC) were 3.0+/-0.4 kg, 48.7+/-2.3 cms and 33.1+/-0.8 cms, respectively. Mean serum leptin levels was 10.0+/-7.5 ng/ml. Serum leptin levels were found to be positively correlated with birth weight (r=0.16, p=0.04), and OFC (r=0.33, p<0.01), whereas no significant relationship was found with length of the babies.


CONCLUSIONS
The reported results suggest that leptin may play role in newborns body weight and energy expenditure as in adults and children.
Lakho
Ghulam Rehmani
GR
Department of Physiology, Liaquat College of Medicine and Dentistry, Karachi, Pakistan, and Khams Civil Hospital, King Khalid University Abha, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. ghulam.lakho@aku.edu [corrected]
Haq
Zeba
Z
Chundrigar
Tariq
T
Nazir
Kauser
K
Qureshi
Masood Anwar
MA
D001724:Birth Weight; D001827:Body Height; D002508:Cephalometry; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D020738:Leptin / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D010154:Pakistan
D020738:Leptin