RESUMO
This study included ten preterm infants, ten infants with respiratory distress [RD], eight infants of deliveries with premature rupture of membrane [PROM] and septicemia, eight infants with intrauterine growth retardation [IUGR] and sixteen infants of diabetic mothers together with ten normal full term infants representing the control group. Blood sample was obtained within 12 hours after delivery, sera were used for determination of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and insulin. The study revealed significantly decreased levels of IGF-I, IGFBP-3 and insulin in preterm infants, infants with RD, PROM and septicemia compared with control group. However, in infants with IUGR IFF-I showed slight increase, while IGFBP-3 exhibited slight decrease and insulin was significantly decreased compared with controls. In infants of diabetic mothers, both IGF-I and insulin levels were significantly increased compared with control infants