EVALUATION OF BIOCHEMICAL AND OXIDATIVE STRESS MARKERS AS PREDICTIVE TOOL FOR DIAGNOSIS OF BIRTH ASPHYXIA AND ENCEPHALOPATHY IN NEW BORN

Background:Birth asphyxia and resultanthypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), are leading cause of mortality and morbidity in newborns. Delayed diagnosis may lead to progression of HIE as its clinical features may not be evident at birth as they evolve with time. This study was done to identify asphyxia and HIE in term neonates by evaluating biochemical and oxidative stress markers in umbilical cord blood sample taken immediately after delivery. Methodology: This prospective cross sectional study was done on term neonates in a tertiary care hospital (n=60)Thestudy population was then divided into two equal groups on the basis of Apgar score at 1 minute, with score < 7 as cases (n=30) and ≥7 as controls ( n=30) . The umbilical cord blood was evaluated for biochemical and oxidative stress markers like lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), creatine kinase brain isoform (CK BB), superoxide dismutase (SOD,malondialdehyde (MDH) and catalase. Result: The mean values of LDH, CK BB, and MDA were higher in cases than controls and the differences were highly significant statistically. The mean values of SOD and catalase were higher in cases than controls and the differences were significant statistically. However, mean value of LDH & CKBB of cases with prolonged asphyxia with Apgar score < 7 at 5 minutes (n=4) versus cases with Apgar score > 7 (n=26) was not statistically significant at 95% CI. Conclusion: This study helps in diagnosis of neonatal asphyxia at an early stage thereby preserving the normal functioning of neonatal brain so that the brain functioning is not compromised.