Serum leptin concentration in cord blood: relationship to birth weight andgender in pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia

The aim of the study was to investigate cord blood leptin concentrations an d their relationship to birth weight and gender in term pregnancies complic ated by pre-eclampsia. Cord blood sampler were obtained from 52 women, identified as having pre-ec lampsia, and their newborns (31 males and 21 females) immediately after bir th. Specimens were analyzed using a human leptin(125)I radioimmunoassay. Th e relationship between leptin and anthropometrics was assessed by Spearman correlation. Differences in cord blood leptin levels between male and femal e infants were tested with the Man-Whitney U test. The correlation between leptin and gender was computed using the product-moment-biseral correlation analysis for continuous and dichotomous variables. The multiple logistic r egression analysis examined influences of sex, birth length, birth weight, birth weight/birth length ratio, ponderal index and maternal leptin as cova riates on the fetal card leptin level. Fetal leptin correlated positively with birth weight, length and weight/len gth ratio, in the total group and in the male subgroup and additionally wit h ponderal index in the female subgroup. Cord blood leptin concentrations i n female newborns were significantly higher than in male; newborns (p = 0.0 15), and concentrations correlated with gender (r = -0.315; p = 0.023). Mul tiple logistic regression analysis revealed four potential independent fact ors influencing fetal cord leptin: gender; birth weight, birth weight/birth length ratio and maternal leptin. In conclusion, cord leptin concentrations in pregnancies complicated by pre -eclampsia correlate positively with birth weight and gender. Leptin concen trations in female newborns are higher compared to male newborns.