Korean J Perinatol.  2013 Dec;24(4):244-250. 10.14734/kjp.2013.24.4.244.

Hypoalbuminemia in Extremely Low Birth Weight Infants

• Shon HJ
• Gwon MH
• Lee JH
• Park MS

• KMID: 2072300
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.14734/kjp.2013.24.4.244

Abstract

PURPOSE
We investigated the incidence and clinical course of hypoalbuminemia and identified relevance of prognosis including mortality in extremely low birth weight infants (ELBWIs). Also, we assessed the efficacy of intravenous albumin infusion.
METHODS
A retrospective study including 83 preterm infants <1,000 g of birth weight who were admitted to Ajou university hospital's neonatal intensive care unit from January 2008 to December 2012 was performed. Patients were divided into the normoalbuminemia (> or =2.5 g/dL serum albumin, n=42) group and the hypoalbuminemia (<2.5 g/dL serum albumin, n=41) group, and also the hypoalbuminemia group were subdivided into the intravenous albumin infusion group (n=36) and the control group (n=5).
RESULTS
Of those 83 ELBWIs, 41 infants (49.4%) were classified as the hypoalbuminemia group. Associated conditions with hypoalbuminemia were patent ductus arteriosus (PDA, 19.5%), intraventricular hemorrhage (IVH, > or =grade III, 4.9%), necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC, > or =stage IIa, 46.3%), pneumonia (4.9%), sepsis (24.4%). In univariate analysis, there were no statistically significant differences in major morbidities such as PDA, IVH, NEC, bronchopulmonary dysplasia and mortality between the normoalbuminemia and the hypoalbuminemia groups except gestational age (26+6+/-2+1 vs. 26+0+/-1+5, P=0.045) and birth weight (868+/-117 vs. 783+/-121, P=0.002). In multivariate logistic regression, birth weight is the only meaningful factor associated with hypoalbuminemia (OR.995, 95% CI .990-.999, P=0.019). The mortality (47.2% vs. 0%, P=0.065) and morbidities did not differ between the intravenous albumin infusion and the control group.
CONCLUSION
In ELBWIs, there were no significant differences in major morbidities and mortality between the hypoalbuminemia and the normoalbuminemia groups. The lower birth weight is the only factor associated with hypoalbuminemia. In addition, major morbidities and mortality rate were not affected by the albumin infusion.

Keyword

Hypoalbuminemia; Albumin; Extremely low birth weight infants

MeSH Terms

Birth Weight
Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia
Ductus Arteriosus, Patent
Enterocolitis, Necrotizing
Gestational Age
Hemorrhage
Humans
Hypoalbuminemia*
Incidence
Infant*
Infant, Low Birth Weight*
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Intensive Care, Neonatal
Logistic Models
Mortality
Pneumonia
Prognosis
Retrospective Studies
Sepsis
Serum Albumin
Serum Albumin

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Postnatal trend of albumin level in patients (N=83).

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