High urinary concentrations of activin A in asphyxiated full-term newborns with moderate or severe hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy

BACKGROUND: Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is a major cause of permanent neurological disabilities in full-term newborns. We measured activin A in urine collected immediately after birth in asphyxiated full-term newborns, and assessed the ability of the measurements to predict the occurrence of perinatal encephalopathy. METHODS: We studied 30 infants with perinatal asphyxia and 30 healthy term neonates at the same gestational age. We recorded routine laboratory variables, cranial assessments by standard cerebral ultrasound, and the presence or absence of neurological abnormalities during the first 7 days after birth. Urinary activin A concentrations were measured at first urination and 12, 24, 48, and 72 h after birth. RESULTS: Asphyxiated infants were subdivided as follows: group A (n = 18): no or mild HIE with good prognosis and group B (n = 12): moderate or severe HIE with a greater risk of neurological handicap. Activin A concentrations in urine collected at birth (median collection time at first urination <2 h) and at 12, 24, 48, and 72 h from birth were significantly (P <0.0001) higher in asphyxiated newborns with moderate or severe HIE (Group B) than in those with absent of mild HIE (group A) and controls. Concentrations did not differ between group A and controls. Activin A concentrations were >0.08 mug/L at first urination in 10 of 12 patients with moderate or severe HIE but in none of 18 patients with no or mild HIE. CONCLUSIONS: Activin A measurements in urine soon after birth may be a promising tool to identify which asphyxiated infants are at risk of neurological sequelae.