PEDIATRICS Vol. 108 No. 2 August 2001, pp. 329-332
Association Between Serum Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor Levels and Monocyte and Thrombocyte Counts in Healthy, Hypoxic, and Septic Term Neonates
Received Sep 13, 2000; accepted Dec 11, 2000.
From the From the Departments of Pediatrics and Microbiology,
Dokuz Eylül University Faculty of Medicine, Izmir, Turkey.
Objective. Macrophage
colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) is a hematopoietic growth factor that
mainly stimulates the growth, differentiation, and proliferation of
cells of the monocyte-macrophage lineage. There are only limited
numbers of studies about M-CSF levels in neonates, but high levels of
serum M-CSF have been reported in septic and some thrombocytopenic
adult patients. In this study, we investigated the serum M-CSF levels
in healthy, septic, and hypoxic term neonates on the first day of life
and examined the relationship of serum M-CSF levels and circulating
monocyte and thrombocyte counts in these newborn infants.
Study Design. Three groups were defined in this
prospective study: group 1, healthy neonates with no risk factors
(n = 40); group 2, neonates who had severe hypoxia
(n = 20); and group 3, neonates who fulfilled the
criteria for early-onset sepsis (n = 18). Blood
samples were collected for complete blood cell count and serum M-CSF
levels by peripheral venipuncture from each infant in the first 24 hours after birth before any medical therapy.
Results. The gestational ages and birth weights did not
differ significantly between the groups. Serum M-CSF levels of the
septic neonates were significantly higher than of both healthy and
hypoxic neonates, but did not differ significantly between the healthy
and hypoxic neonates. There was no significant correlation between
serum M-CSF levels and circulating monocyte counts, but there was a
significant inverse correlation between serum M-CSF levels and
thrombocyte counts. When this correlation was analyzed according to
groups, we determined that this inverse correlation between M-CSF
levels and thrombocyte counts was especially significant in the septic neonate group, but not significant in the healthy and hypoxic neonate
groups.
Conclusions. Serum M-CSF levels are significantly higher
in neonates with sepsis. High serum M-CSF levels may have a possible
role in the pathogenesis of thrombocytopenia in neonates with
sepsis.
colony-stimulating factor,
thrombocytopenia,
monocyte,
sepsis,
neonate.





