[Behavior of alpha 1-acid glycoprotein in the premature infant].

The interest of clinicians has recently turned to the study of acute phase proteins whose determination, especially in the newborn, offers not only diagnostic information, but also information about prognosis. For many years we have been interested in the study of orosomucoid behaviour in newborn term babies and in low weight premature babies. For this purpose 113 patients were tested, divided into different gestational age groups, from which samples were taken immediately after birth, on the following days and before beginning any kind of treatment to show the behaviour of acid glycoprotein until normal average values were reached. Statistical processing of the data showed an average orosomucoid value in newborn term babies in perfect agreement with the literature. There was correlation among gestational age, weight at birth and orosomucoid concentration, which peaked more quickly the greater the gestational age and weight at birth. Thereafter, the concentration decreased until it stabilised at average term newborn values.