title: Advanced intrauterine growth restriction is associated with reduced excretion of asymmetric dimethylarginine.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  High blood levels of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) are associated with future development of adverse cardiovascular events. The ADMA/symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) ratio is a marker of ADMA catabolism, with a high ADMA/SDMA ratio being suggestive of reduced ADMA excretion.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed a) to verify the presence of a statistically significant difference between ADMA/SDMA ratio levels in a group of young adult subjects who were born preterm with an extremely low birth weight (ex-ELBW) and a group of healthy adults born at term and b) to seek correlations between ADMA/SDMA ratio levels in ex-ELBW and anthropometric and clinical parameters (gender, chronological age, gestational age, birth weight, and length of stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit).
  Thirty-seven ex-ELBW subjects (11 males [M] and 26 females [F], aged 17-28 years, mean age: 22.2 ± 1.8 years) were compared with 37 controls (11 M and 26 F). ADMA/SDMA ratio levels were assessed for each patient included in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  ADMA/SDMA ratio in ex-ELBW subjects was higher compared to controls (1.42 ± 0.31 vs 0.95 ± 0.14, p<0.002) and inversely correlated with birth weight (r=-0.68, p<0.0001) and gestational age (r=-0.54, p<0.0005).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ADMA catabolism is significantly decreased in ex-ELBW subjects compared to controls, underlining a probable correlation with restriction of intrauterine growth. These results suggest the onset of early circulatory dysfunction predictive of increased cardiovascular risk in ex-ELBW.
authors: Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu", University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy. Electronic address: piercard@inwind.it.
authors: P P
authors: PP
authors: Bassareo
authors: Department of Surgery, Section of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Puericulture, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Fanos
authors: Department of Surgery, Section of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit and Puericulture, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Puddu
authors: Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu", University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Flore
authors: Department of Medical Sciences "M. Aresu", University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy.
authors: G
authors: G
authors: Mercuro
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000097:blood; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D005317:Fetal Growth Retardation / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D052577:Infant, Extremely Low Birth Weight / Q000097:blood; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male
chemical_list: C018524:N,N-dimethylarginine; D001120:Arginine
keywords: Asymmetric dimethylarginine; Cardiovascular risk; Intrauterine growth restriction; Kidney; Symmetric dimethylarginine