Abstract:OBJECTIVE: Neonatal asphyxia may lead to multiple organ lesions. This paper aims at studying the changes of β 2 microglobin (β 2 MG) in blood and urine and N Acetyl β D Glucosaminidase (NAG) in urine so as to evaluate the renal function in neonates after asphyxia. METHODS: Radioimmunity and colorimetry were used to simultaneously measure β 2 MG levels in blood and urine and urinary NAG level in 28 neonates with neonatal asphyxia and 16 healthy neonates. RESULTS: Compared with healthy infants, the levels of β 2 MG in blood and urine and the level of NAG in urine [( 4.46 ± 1.42 ) mg/L vs ( 2.97 ± 1.24 ) mg/L, ( 2.69 ± 1.80 ) mg/L vs ( 0.96 ± 0.82 ) mg/L, ( 13.68 ± 2.01 U/mmol.Cr vs ( 6.12 ± 1.16 ) U/mmol/Cr, respectively] significantly increased in neonates with asphyxia (P< 0.01 ). The levels of β 2 MG in blood and urine and the NAG level in urine [( 4.99 ± 1.28 ) mg/L, ( 3.86 ± 1.14 ) mg/L, ( 13.94 ± 3.82 ) U/mmol.Cr, respectively] were significantly higher in the neonates with severe asphyxia than those in neonates with mild asphyxia [( 4.30 ± 1.21 ) mg/L, ( 2.93 ± 0.87 ) mg/L, ( 9.68 ± 1.27 ) U/mmol/L.Cr, respectively](P< 0.05 ). The levels of β 2 MG in urine increased more obviously than the β 2 MG level in blood in neonates with asphyxia (P< 0.01 ). CONCLUSIONS: β 2 MG in blood and urine and NAG in urine may be useful indexes for the early evaluation of renal function, especially of the orientation of injury of glomerular or renal tubular and of the severity of renal lesions in neonates following asphyxia.
