Characteristics of amino acid metabolism in preterm infants in Guangxi, China

To study the characteristics of amino acid metabolism in preterm infants in Guangxi, China. A retrospective analysis was performed on the medical data of 30 757 neonates who underwent the screening for inherited metabolic diseases and had negative results in Guangxi Neonatal Disease Screening Center from 2018 to 2020. Among these neonates, there were 28 611 normal full-term infants (control group) and 2 146 preterm infants (preterm birth group). According to gestational age, the preterm infants were further divided into four groups: very preterm ( =209), moderately preterm ( =307), and late preterm group ( =1 630). According to birth weight, they were divided into three groups: very low birth weight group ( =161), low birth weight group ( =1 085), and normal birth weight group ( =900). According to blood collection time, they were divided into three groups: 3-7 days group ( =1 664), 8-14 days group ( =314) and 15-28 days group ( =168). Tandem mass spectrometry was performed to measure the levels of 11 amino acids in dried blood spots, which were then compared between groups. After adjustment for confounding factors, there were significant differences in the levels of 11 amino acids among different gestational age groups (