Objective: To study the blood L-arginine level in cases of premature neonates suffering from Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) and correlate it with the severity and the prognosis of RDS.
This study included 30 premature neonates with respiratory distress syndrome and 10 healthy premature neonates as control group from neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), Pediatrics department, Benha University Hospitals during the period from February to December 2011. All the studied neonates were subjected to: complete clinical evaluation, plain X-ray chest examination with determination of the grade of RDS according to Downes scoring system. Laboratory work-up included serum L-arginine assay and arterial blood gases (ABG). Follow up for1month to all cases were done to detect their outcome. Results: In our study the mean blood L-arginine level in preterm with RDS was significantly lower than that of normal preterm (30.1±6.1 versus 81.8±5.6, p< 0.001). L-arginine level significantly increased on the third day of life in the cases, while there is no significant difference between first and third day regarding control group. Our result demonstrated significantly reduced blood L-arginine levels in severe cases of RDS (Downes score > 7) compared to other cases, with highly significant negative correlation between L-arginine level and the severity of RDS.
Conclusion: lower level of L-arginine was associated with the severe form of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, while there was no relation to the prognosis of RDS in premature infants.
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