PLASMA SECRETIN IN NEONATES

Abstract. Lucas, A., Adrian, T. E., Bloom, S. R. and Aynsley-Green, A. (University Department of Paediatrics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford and Hammersmith Hospital, London). Plasma secretin in neonates. Acta Paediatr Scand, 69: 205, 1980.—Plasma secretin has been measured in 96 normal 6-day-old term infants and in 158 healthy preterm infants whose mean post-partum ages were 2½, 6, 13 or 24-days. At birth, plasma secretin levels in both term and preterm infants were high compared with those seen in healthy fasting adults ( p > 0.001), but subsequently declined towards adult values. In contrast, preterm infants who had not been fed for the first 6 days of life, had presistently high basal plasma secretin values. In term infants at 6 days of age and in preterm infants up to 13 days, there was no se-cretin response to a feed. However, by 24 days, preterm infants showed a marked post-prandial secretin elevation ( p > 0.02). No correlations were found between plasma secretin concentrations and either blood glucose or plasma insulin concentrations following a feed. Significant adjustments in plasma secretin levels occur in the early weeks of life which may be influenced by enteral feeding.