STUDY OF ELECTROLYTE STATUS, GLUCOSE AND URIC ACID LEVELS IN PERINATAL ASPHYXIA

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR:
Dr. Jayaprakash K,
#2601, 5th C Main, 12th Cross,
Hampinagar, Vijayanagar,
Bangalore – 560104.
E-mail: drjayaprakashk@gmail.com

ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVE: This is a hospital based, prospective clinical study on the electrolyte status, glucose & uric acid levels in asphyxiated newborns in the umbilical cord arterial blood. METHODS: The study was a prospective study conducted on asphyxiated and non-asphyxiated term neonates recruited from a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Cases and Controls comprised of asphyxiated and non-asphyxiated neonates, respectively. The cord blood arterial samples from the 50 neonates comprising the cases and 50 neonates comprising the controls constituted the material for the study. Maternal and neonatal risk factors were noted and data analyzed by statistical package SPSS-15. RESULTS: A significant correlation was detected between the levels of hyponatremia and the severity of HIE in the asphyxiated neonates. A significant correlation was also detected between the levels of hypocalcaemia and the severity of HIE in the asphyxiated neonate. Although serum values of potassium, uric acid and creatinine were found to be higher in asphyxiated neonates as compared to normal neonates their values were found to be in the higher range of normal. Serum glucose values did not have a significant correlation with mild to moderate severity of asphyxia. CONCLUSION: The umbilical cord arterial values of serum sodium and serum calcium was found to be a good, early, simple and reliable screening test for the early diagnosis and assessment of severity perinatal asphyxia and their values correlate well with the severity of HIE.

KEYWORDS: Perinatal asphyxia.