Abstract
The prospective study assessed the influence of serum leptin levels on markers of bone metabolism and bone mineral density in 2-year-old infants born preterm. A total of 57 randomized preterm Caucasian newborns (32nd-37th week of gestation) were included in the study.
Bone metabolism markers were measured every 6 months. The infants were monitored prospectively up to the age of 2 years.
When the infants turned 2 years of age, they were investigated by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (lumbar spine). The median cord blood leptin levels was 3.07 mu g/L.
The median leptin level during check-ups before 2 years of age was 9.96 mu g/L. The other laboratory markers were within the normal ranges for that age.
The bone mineral density reached, on average, 0.410 g/cm(2). Lower leptin levels in the cord blood and in the serum of preterm infants do not influence bone mineral density during the first 2 years of life.