Serum zinc in mothers and from cord blood of appropriate birth-weight full term and preterm newborn infants, and of low-birth-weight full term infants

In order to prove the zinc behaviour in prematurity and in intrauterine malnutrition we have measured this element in mother's serum soon after parturition and from cord blood of their infants—appropriate and low-birth weight full term infants and appropriate birth weight preterm infants. We have also evidenced serum zinc from cord blood of appropriate birth-weight full term and preterm newborn infants, and of low-birth-weight full term newborn infants. The maternal groups being compared to one another didn't show any difference statistically significant; the same happened to the cord serum in newborn groups. The comparisons in the concentrations of maternal serum and newborn infants in each group showed that for appropriate and low-birth-weight full term infants as for appropriate birth-weight preterm infants the cord blood determination averages were higher than the corresponding mothers. We concluded that neither the prematurity nor the fetal growth delay interfere in the maternal zinc levels and in the newborn infants at birth. © Gordon and Breach Science Publishers, Inc., 1984