Table 3.
Prevalence of postnatal complications and electrolyte disturbance during the first week of life in very low birth weight infants stratified according to serum phosphate levels.
| Complication | All (n = 49) | Hypophosphatemia (n = 15) | Normophosphatemia (n = 34) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLD at day 28, % | 68.8 (33/48) | 64.3 (9/14) | 70.6 (24/34) | 0.738 |
| CLD at week 36, % | 52.1 (25/48) | 50.0 (7/14) | 52.9 (18/34) | 1.000 |
| Home oxygen therapy, % | 14.9 (7/47) | 7.1 (1/14) | 18.2 (6/33) | 0.657 |
| PDA, medically treated, % | 26.5 (13/49) | 20.0 (3/15) | 29.4 (10/34) | 0.727 |
| PDA, surgically treated, % | 4.1 (2/49) | 6.7 (1/15) | 2.9 (1/34) | 0.523 |
| IVH grades 3-4, % | 2.0 (1/49) | 6.7 (1/15) | 0 (0/34) | 0.306 |
| Periventricular leukomalacia, % | 2.0 (1/49) | 6.7 (1/15) | 0 (0/34) | 0.306 |
| Necrotizing enterocolitis, % | 6.1 (3/49) | 13.3 (2/15) | 2.9 (1/34) | 0.218 |
| Hypoglycemia, % | 59.2 (29/49) | 73.3 (11/15) | 52.9 (18/34) | 0.221 |
| Hypokalemia, % | 38.8 (19/49) | 73.3 (11/15) | 23.5 (8/34) | 0.002 |
| Hypercalcemia, % | 34.7 (17/49) | 66.7 (10/15) | 20.8 (7/34) | 0.003 |
| Urinary P/Cr, mg/mg | 0.18 (0–0.77) | 0 (0–0.07) | 0.50 (0.07–0.90) | <0.001 |
| Urinary K/Cr, mg/mg | 0.75 (0.46–1.52) | 0.45 (0.32–0.86) | 0.83 (0.59–1.90) | 0.010 |
Values are expressed as median (interquartile range) or frequency (n/N). Significant differences between the groups (p < 0.05) are indicated in bold font. Ca: calcium; CLD: chronic lung disease; Cr: creatinine; IVH: intraventricular hemorrhage; P: phosphorus; PDA: patent ductus arteriosus.