Abstract
Summary: The direct radioimmunoassay for plasma aldosterone (PA) set up in this laboratory has been reported else were. Subjects were 115 normal full term newborns and infants. During the first week of life, there was a wide dispersion in the PA levels (<1–445, n = 89), but on the whole these levels were high (>6 ng/ 100 ml) and 35% were higher than those observed in children after stimulation (>48 ng/100 ml). Furthermore, there was a negative correlation between PA values and the day of sampling (P < 0.01). In older infants, PA values were lower and the ranges narrower. A highly significant negative correlation was found between Na:K ratios and PA levels. The mean geometrical value for PA levels was 53 ng/100 ml vs. 1.012 Tor Na:K mean ratio. When related to weight variations, PA values were randomly distributed. No correlation was found between PA and sodium intakes. The daily urinary excretion of tetrahydroal-dosterone and 3-oxoconjugate of aldosterone were lower per se, but when related to surface area, were found to be roughly 3-fold those of control adult subjects. We conclude that in the newborn, both the production and excretion of aldosterone are different than values in the adult and that responses to the regulation factors mentioned above are decreased.
Speculation: The direct radioimmunoassay of PA facilitates the evaluation of this hormone during the neonatal period and infancy. The results obtained from plasma and urinary determinations of aldosterone provide evidence for a different pattern of both production and metabolism of aldosterone during these periods. An appreciation of these PA values and of their regulation is necessary in order to evaluate the significance of PA levels observed in pathologic cases.
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Raux-Eurin, M., Pham-Huu-Trung, M., Marrec, D. et al. Plasma Aldosterone Concentrations during the Neonatal Period. Pediatr Res 11, 182–185 (1977). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197703000-00008
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-197703000-00008
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