Abstract
Type III collagen is deposited early in progressive pulmonary fibrosis, followed by predominance of type I. Since PIIINP, a byproduct of type III collagen synthesis, reflects the degree of pulmonary fibrosis in adults, we hypothesized that PIIINP in tracheal fluid may be useful as an early marker of developing BPD in neonates. Therefore we serially measured PIIINP and protein in tracheal aspirates of 41 consecutive respirator-treated very low birth weight prematures (mean birth weight 1067g, mean gestational age 28.3 weeks). Eight of the infants died and 22 infants had radiological evidence of BPD and needed extra oxygen at age 28 days. The mean level of PIIINP declined with advancing postnatal age. The concentrations in infants meeting the criteria for BPD did not differ from those without BPD during the follow-up. Neither did they correlate with the degree of BPD or of radiologically defined fibrosis. The mean (SD) PIIINP during the first 24h was 175 ng/mg protein (105) in infants who were still in respirator at age 28 days (N=13), 108 (75) in those who were weaned earlier (N=19) and 49.7 (25) in those who died before age 28 days (N=8), but such differences were not detected on day three or later. The PIIINP level in tracheal aspirate is thus not a useful marker for BPD in WLBW infants.
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Heikinheimo, M., Halila, R. 168 N-TERMINAL PROPERIDE OF TYPE III COLLAGEN (PIIINP) IS NOT A USEFUL MARKER OF EARLY BOUNCHOPULMONARY DYSPLASIA. Pediatr Res 30, 656 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00198
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-199112000-00198