The Diagnostic and Prognostic Value of Serum Trypsin Inhibitory Capacity in Infants with Idiopathic Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

Abstract

Summary: Trypsin inhibitory capacity (TIC), a measure of alpha-l-antitrypsin, was determined in the umbilical cord sera of 36 preterm infants. Twenty or.e of the infants had Idiopathic Respiratory Distress Syndrome (IRDS), while 15 without IRDS served as controls. The mean TIC levels in cord serum were significantly reduced (p<0.001) in infants with IRDS. Mortality was 80% among infants with IRDS who weighed 200gg or less and had TIC values of less than 0.65mg per ml. Furthermore, there was a consistent rise in serial TIC levels in 4 infants with IRDS who survived. Thus, the determination of serum TIC levels may have diagnostic and predictive value in the management of newborn babies with IRDS.