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Central apnoea and endogenous prostaglandins in neonates
Author(s) -
Hoch B,
Bernhard M
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2000.tb00766.x
Subject(s) - medicine , endogeny , prostaglandin e , urinary system , endocrinology , incidence (geometry) , physics , optics
Aim: Central apnoeas without an identifiable precipitating cause frequently occur in the neonatal period. Serious apnoeas should be treated with ventilation‐enhancing methylxanthines. Drugs such as opioids or prostaglandins (PGE 2 ) are known to induce apnoea. PGE 2 is an endogenous hormone that plays an important role in the regulation of neural activity and a relationship between PGE 2 and central apnoeas has been postulated. Methods : In order to test the hypothesis that the incidence of central apnoeas in preterm infants is related to endogenous PGE concentration, we measured the urinary concentration of PGE 2 and PGE‐M and determined the number of central apnoeas >10s/12h in overnight polygraphy in 18 preterm infants with apnoeas, bradycardias and desaturations, and 18 normal controls. Results : We found 80.6 (SE 6.9) central apnoeas in the study group, and 52.9 (SE 4.1) in the control group ( p = 0.002). Urinary PGE 2 concentration was 25.9 (SE 6.1)ng/h/1.73m 2 in the control, 31.2 (SE 15.8) ng/h/1.73m 2 in the study group ( p = n.s.), PGE‐M concentration was 486 (SE 35) ng/h/1.73m 2 in the control and 1132 (SE 131) ng/h/1.73m 2 in the study group ( p < 0.0001). There was a significant correlation between the number of central apnoeas and the PGE‐M concentration in the study group ( r = 0.68, p < 0.0001). Conclusion : Our results suggest a relationship between PGE and the respiratory system and open potential therapeutic options for the treatment of central apnoeas in neonates.