The Role of Cord Blood IGF-I Levels in Preterm Osteopenia

OpenAlex İngilizce

OBJECTIVE: Osteopenia is a frequent condition in preterm infants. This prospective study was designed to assess the relationship between cord blood insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) levels and bone mineralization in healthy premature infants. METHODS: Twenty preterm infants (ten males and ten females) were studied. We determined the bone mineral density (BMD) and bone mineral content (BMC) of healthy premature infants by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry and also studied the correlation between IGF-I and other parameters and the influence of cord blood IGF-I concentrations on bone mineralization in these infants. RESULTS: The mean concentration of IGF-I was 13.6 +/- 16.9 ng/ml and BMD and BMC were 0.249 +/- 0.06 g/cm2 and 3.09 +/- 1.18 g, respectively. Cord serum levels of IGF-I had significantly positive correlations with BMD (r = 0.605, p = 0.008), but not BMC (r = 0.242, p = 0.367). In stepwise regression analysis, IGF-I emerged as a significant predictor of BMD (beta = 0.595, p = 0.015) contributing to 35.4% of its variability. CONCLUSION: We found a relationship between cord blood IGF-I and BMD in preterm neonates, suggesting that even within an unremarkable population, IGF-I might be important to ensuring bone health.