G Fung, K Bawden, P Chow, V Yu

Abstract

Chorioamnionitis, a risk factor for preterm labour, has been reported to cause a fetal inflammatory response that predisposes the preterm infant to lung and brain injury. This study compared the outcome of 72 infants born below 28 weeks gestation or 1000 g birthweight with chorioamnionitis (Group A, n=18) and without chorioamnionitis (Group B, n=54). There was a higher incidence in Group A of raised serum C-reactive protein (60% vs 32%), raised immature to total neutrophil ratio (53% vs 24%), chronic lung disease (54% vs 43%), periventricular haemorrhage (31% vs 22%), retinopathy of prematurity (23% vs 18%), two-year mortality (33% vs 17%), cerebral palsy (25% vs 11%), and visual impairment (25% vs 16%), but none of these differences reach statistically significance. Further studies with larger cohorts are necessary to confirm the relationship between chorioamnionitis and adverse outcome.

報導証實絨毛膜羊膜炎是引致早產的因素，並引起胎兒的炎症反應，使早產兒的肺部和腦部易受損害。這個研究比較了伴隨有絨毛膜羊膜炎(A 組，n=18)和無絨毛羊膜炎(B 組，n=54)共 72 名在孕 28 周前出生或者出生體重在 1000 克以下的嬰兒。A 組中在 C-反應蛋白水平升高亦有較高的發生率(60% 比 32%)，同時在以下幾個方面也有較高的發生率，其包括未成熟中性粒細胞與總中性粒細胞的比值升高( 53% 比 24%)、慢性肺部疾病(54% 比 43%)、腦室周出血(31% 比 22%)、早產兒視網膜病變(23% 比 18%)、兩年病死率(33% 比 17%)、腦癱(25% 比 11%)和視力障礙(25% 比 16%)，但這些差別在統計學上並無太大含義。募集更多合適的嬰兒，作進一步研究是必需的，從而確定絨毛膜羊膜炎和不利的結果相互間的關係。