Concentração de α-tocoferol no soro de cordão umbilical de recém-nascidos assistidos em uma maternidade pública

Abstract

Objectives: To analyze the concentration of α-tocopherol in cord serum of newborns assisted in a public hospital, assess the nutritional status of vitamin E in that group and relate the findings to the maternal’s and newborn’s variables. Methods: A total of 57 cord blood samples from newborns were analized. The analysis of α-tocopherol was by high-performance liquid chromatography. The vitamin E deficiency was defined as the concentration of α-tocopherol was <7,5μmol / L. To analyze the relationship of vitamin E to the maternal’s and newborn’s variables, the statistical tests used were chi-square, Pearson and Spearman correlation. Results: The average value of α-tocopherol in the umbilical cord was 6.4 ± 4.6 mmol / L, pointing out that 68.4% (n = 39) of the neonates showed deficiency for vitamin E. There was no significant relationship between α-tocopherol and nutritional status in vitamin E with the variables analyzed. Conclusions: Most of the studied group had vitamin E deficiency, but there was no relationship between the variables analyzed and the vitamin concentrations of the newborn, suggesting that other variables relate better with the vitamin status of the newborn.