Underweight full-term Indian neonates show differences in umbilical cord blood leukocyte phenotype: a cross-sectional study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

While infections are a major cause of neonatal mortality in India even in full-term neonates, this is an especial problem in the large proportion (~20%) of neonates born underweight (or small-for-gestational-age; SGA). One potential contributory factor for this susceptibility is the possibility that immune system maturation may be affected along with intrauterine growth retardation.

Methods

In order to examine the possibility that differences in immune status may underlie the susceptibility of SGA neonates to infections, we enumerated the frequencies and concentrations of 22 leukocyte subset populations as well as IgM and IgA levels in umbilical cord blood from full-term SGA neonates and compared them with values from normal-weight (or appropriate-for-gestational-

SUBMITTER: Rathore DK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4405369 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature