Serum lipids in maternal/cord blood pairs from normal and low birthweight infants in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

Serum total cholesterol and triglyceride were determined in the cord blood of 54 term appropriate for gestational age, 14 preterm appropriate for gestational age and 17 small-for-dates infants and their mothers immediately after delivery in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The mean serum level of total cholesterol in cord blood of term appropriate for gestational age infants was 1.9 mmol/l, whereas that from their mothers 6.3 mmol/l. Cord serum triglyceride values in term appropriate for gestational age infants were 0.29 mmol/l and from their mothers 1.91 mmol/l. Results of these maternal cord serum lipids in the normal and low birthweight groups are similar to those of Western countries.