UMBILICAL-CORD DOPAMINE-BETA-HYDROXYLASE, CHROMOGRANIN-A AND MET-ENKEPHALIN AFTER CONDITIONS ASSOCIATED WITH CHRONIC INTRAUTERINE STRESS

Objective: To evaluate whether the markers of autonomic nervous system activity, dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH), chromogranin A (CGA) and m et-enkephalin (E), are different in cord blood from neonates born afte r conditions associated with chronic intrauterine stress (CIUS) as com pared to neonates born after a normal pregnancy. Study design: 61 newb orns (median BW 2,840 g, range 617-4270 g) born after a pregnancy comp licated by maternal hypertension, maternal smoking, maternal diabetes mellitus or intrauterine growth retardation (STR group) were compared with 88 neonates (median BW 2,910 g, range 4,00-4,370 g) who had not s uffered from such intrauterine conditions. DBH, CGA and E were measure d in the cord blood of both groups. Results: When both groups were tak en together, high DBH values were best related to maternal smoking (p = 0.004) and low E levels to maternal diabetes (p = 0.02). Within the STR group, high DBH values were best related with all. conditions link ed with CIUS (p = 0.008), E levels were best linked with the combinati on of intrauterine growth retardation (positive correlation) and mater nal diabetes (negative correlation) (p = 0.03). For CGA there was only a weak positive relation with maternal smoking (p = 0.3). Conclusion: Certain intrauterine conditions associated with CIUS, especially mate rnal smoking, may lead to alterations of the autonomic nervous system as revealed by some of its markers in cord blood of neonates. This may be important in the pathogenesis of certain conditions after birth, s uch as the sudden infant death syndrome.