| Summary: | The present study was performed to determine whether ongoing oxidative stress in some BPD infants contributes to their increased energy expenditure leading to growth failure. The study consisted of two parts. The first is a descriptive census of BPD infants (n = 38) followed at the outpatient clinics at The Montreal Children's Hospital (MCH). The second is a cross-sectional study of fifteen patients wherein anthropometric parameters, energy intake, and oxidative stress measures (red cell glutathione (GSH) and plasma malondialdehyde (MDA)) were assessed. Nine infants with growth failure were compared to six thriving infants with respect to their nutritional and oxidative stress status. Growth failure was defined as weight for age and weight for height for age less than the tenth percentile (z score $ leq - 1).$ Results revealed that the prevalence of growth failure in the BPD infants followed at MCH ranged between 45% and 55%. The mean ($ pm$ SD) energy intakes for thriving and failing to thrive infants expressed as a percent of the recommended nutrient intake were 104 $ pm$ 46% and 133 $ pm$ 35% respectively. Six infants had reduced mean ($ pm$ SD) blood glutathione per hemoglobin (3.63 $ pm$ 0.37 umol/g) compared to adult controls (6.57 $ pm$ 1.04 umol/g). Four of the six infants had growth failure while two were thriving. Fourteen Infants including all failing to thrive infants had elevated mean ($ pm$ SD) plasma MDA levels compared to adult controls (129 $ pm$ 48 vs 55 $ pm$ 3 nmol/l). Differences in oxidative stress markers were not observed between the two groups. These results suggest that growth failure is associated with an increase in caloric consumption and not with a decrease in caloric intake. The preliminary findings on oxidative stress markers suggest a depletion of the GSH antioxidant in some infants and marked lipid peroxidation in the BPD population.
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