T. Decsi et al., LIPID AND APOLIPOPROTEIN LEVELS AND ENTERAL NUTRITION IN VERY-LOW-BIRTH-WEIGHT PRETERM INFANTS, Acta paediatrica, 82(8), 1993, pp. 663-665
Lipid, lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein A-I, A-II and B leve
ls were determined in 10 very low-birth-weight (birth weight 1279 +/-
144 g; gestational age 29.2 +/- 1.2 weeks, mean +/- SD) preterm infant
s on postnatal days 3, 10 and 21. Feeding with pooled human milk began
on day 3 +/- 1 and by day 10 all infants were exclusively enterally f
ed. Both triglyceride and total cholesterol levels increased significa
ntly from day 3 to day 10 (0.84 +/- 0.28 versus 1.53 +/- 0.72 and 2.42
+/- 0.47 versus 3.24 +/- 0.80, mmol/l, respectively) (p<0.01); therea
fter no further increase was observed. The increase in total cholester
ol level was primarily due to a significant enhancement of very low-de
nsity lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (1.52 +/- 0.
34 versus 2.29 +/- 0.73 mmol/l, p<0.01). Apo A-I, A-II and B levels di
d not change between day 3 and day 10. From day 10 to day 21, however,
a significant increase in apo A-I concentration was noted (0.57 +/- 0
.20 versus 0.87 +/- 0.17 g/l, p<0.01), whereas apo A-II levels increas
ed significantly from day 3 to 21 (0.15 +/- 0.03 versus 0.27 +/- 0.08
g/l, p<0.01). No change in apo B level was seen.