SERUM TOTAL CORTICOID AND CORTISOL LEVELS IN PREMATURE INFANTS WITH RESPIRATORY DISTRESS SYNDROME

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Serum total corticoid and cortisol levels were measured in premature infants with fatal hyaline membrane disease (HMD), nonfatal HMD, and benign respiratory distress syndrome (BRD). The streoids were determined by a competitive protein-binding assay, the cortisol being isolated by LH-20 Sephadex column chromatography. The mean cortisol level in the first three days of life was significantly greater in fatal HMD than in BRD (22.2 ± 3.7 SEM versus 6.8 ± 1.2 p. < .001). The mean cortisol level also was greater in fatal HMD than in BRD after 6 days of age (10.9 ± 1.5 versus 3.5 ± 0.6 p. < .001). Patients in all diagnostic categories responded to adrenal stimulation by cosyntropin with rises in serum cortisol levels. The elevated serum cortisol levels in fatal HMD are appropriate for the stress of the disease. The study provides no evidence that postnatal adrenal hypofunction plays a role in the pathogenesis or course of HMD.

This publication has 0 references indexed in Scilit: