Objective: To compare inflammatory mediators in the cord blood of premature newborn infants with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and intact membranes.
Methods: Eighty-nine premature neonates with gestational age of 27-34 weeks that delivered in Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran from June 2005 to March 2006 were enrolled in a prospective observational study, and their umbilical cord plasma was collected at birth. They were allocated into 2 groups (45 patients with PROM, and 44 neonates with intact membranes). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels were measured in cord plasma by the enzyme linked immunoassay (ELISA) method.
Results: Mean cord plasma IL-6 levels in preterm neonates with PROM was 205.71 pg/ml, and in neonates with intact membranes was 33.3 pg/ml for IL-6 (p=0.000). The mean cord blood CRP level in newborns with PROM was 10.2 microgram/ml, and in those with intact membranes was 1.6 microgram/ml (p=0.41). Early onset sepsis was more frequent in infants with PROM than premature infants with intact membrane (38% versus 10%, p=0.001). In neonates with PROM, the mean cord blood IL-6 level was significantly higher in septic newborns (414.28 verus 40.44 pg/ml, p=0.000).
Conclusion: The premature newborn infants with PROM had increased IL-6 levels in cord blood, which was significantly higher in neonates that developed early onset sepsis.