A cross-sectional study of plasma and urinary aluminum levels in term and preterm infants.

High aluminum levels have been reported in sick and intravenously fed premature infants; however, aluminum is a ubiquitous pollutant of food. This study compares the usual aluminum levels of healthy newborns from birth to the third month of life with those of enterally fed premature infants free of renal failure. Plasma and urine concentrations were determined 66 times in full-term newborns (n = 58), 56 times in a group of preterm infants whose gestational age at birth was 28 to 32 weeks (n = 36) and 54 times in another group of preterm infants whose gestational age at birth was 33 to 36 weeks (n = 50). Daily aluminum intakes (+/- SE) of the full-term infants and the two groups of preterm infants were 0.42 +/- 0.05, 0.64 +/- 0.03, and 0.52 +/- 0.03 mumol/kg per day, respectively (p = .05). Plasma aluminum levels were 0.29 +/- 0.05, 0.49 +/- 0.06, and 0.39 +/- 0.05 mumol/L (p = .007); urine excretion levels were 0.80 +/- 0.12, 0.77 +/- 0.21, and 0.78 +/- 0.2 mumol of aluminum/mmol of creatinine (p value not significant). Although the metabolic consequences of the high aluminum intakes and blood levels we have observed in very low birth weight infants remain to be assessed, these results suggest that more attention should be paid to the aluminum status and intake of healthy premature babies.