FGF, IGF growth factors in premature infants with different stages of lung development and further clinical adaptation of these patients

Functional maturity of premature infants is not characterized by low weight and height indicators only but also by the delayed development of organs and systems that in its turn leads to disruption of their successful adaptation to extrauterine life. The purpose of this research was to identify the features of clinical adaptation and expression of IGF and FGF in cord blood in premature infants born at 22 to 31.6 weeks of gestation with different stages of lung development. Materials and methods used: a single-center cohort prospective study was conducted in 2022-2023 that included 51 premature infants with a gestational age (GA) of 22 to 31.6 weeks of which 22 had canalicular stage (CS) and 29 had saccular stage (SS) of lung development, accordingly. Results: patients with CS had longer duration of general respiratory support (both invasive and noninvasive) (p=0.032), grade 2 intraventricular hemorrhages were diagnosed more often (p<0.001), blood and plasma transfusion procedures were performed (p=0.026 and p=0.018, respectively); patients in this group were mainly prescribed with imipenem+cilastatin and ceftazidime therapy (p=0.035 and p=0.009, respectively). When assessing the acid-base balance of the blood in the first hours of life, children with CS showed increase in sodium ions (p<0.001) compared to those with SS. In the general blood test taken in the first day of life an increase in the relative number of segmented neutrophils (p<0.001) and a decrease in the number of lymphocytes in patients of the CS group (p=0.015) were recorded. In the umbilical cord blood, increased levels of IGF and FGF were observed in children of the CS group (p=0.021 and p=0.006, respectively). Conclusion: the severity of the premature infants born at 22 to 31.6 weeks of gestation condition depends on the stage of lung development. Determination of the level of fibroblast growth factor expression in the umbilical cord blood can serve as an additional criterion in assessing the degree of maturity of lung tissue, which will ensure a personalized approach to therapy in premature infants.