ABSTRACT. Arginine vasopressin (AVP), atrial natriuretic factor, and water balance were examined in the infants with or without bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) during the first 4 wk of life. Fourteen premature infants, nine in the early stage of BPD secondary to respiratory distress syndrome (BPD infants) and five healthy low birthwt infants (LBW infants), were the subjects of this study. The water and sodium balance, renal function, and plasma AVP and atrial natriuretic factor concentrations were determined during the first 4 wk of life. Plasma AVP and atrial natriuretic factor levels of BPD infants at the 4th wk of life were higher than those of LBW infants at the corresponding age. Urine osmolality was higher and free water clearance was lower in BPD infants at the 4th wk of life when compared with each parameter in LBW infants, respectively. Pac02 of BPD infants at the 4th wk of life was more elevated than that of LBW infants. These results suggest that elevated plasma AVP level may be related with pulmonary abnormalities and that atrial natriuretic factor may hence compensate the water retention resulted from the functionally activated AVP in the early stage of BPD. (Pediatr Res 27: [260][261][262][263]1990) Abbreviations ANF, atrial natriuretic factor AVP, arginine vasopressin BPD, bronchopulmonary dysplasia Ccr, creatinine clearance CH20, free water clearance FENa, fractional excretion of sodium LBW, low birthwt RDS, respiratory distress syndrome SIADH, syndrome of inappropriate secretion of antidiuretic hormoneInfants with chronic BPD sometimes develop edema, oliguria, and hyponatremia (1-3). Some of these symptoms are similar to those seen in patients with SIADH (4, 5). Recently, Hazinski et al. (2) found that some infants with chronic BPD have elevated plasma AVP levels and they speculated the functional significance of these elevated values. However, all these articles are about water balance in the chronic stage of BPD. It has not been well established whether the changes of plasma AVP levels and water balance in the early stage of BPD are the same with those in chronic BPD.On the other hand, ANF, found and isolated from the heart, has potent natriuretic and diuretic activities ( 6 4 , even in the premature infants (9). Among a variety of physiological effects of ANF such as natriuresis, vasodilation, inhibition of aldosterone release (6, lo), it is suggested that ANF suppresses the AVP release (1 1, 12). We therefore investigated whether there are differences in plasma values of AVP, ANF, and water homeostasis during the 1st mo of life between infants in the early stage of BPD and healthy LBW infants.
MATERIALS AND METHODSStudy protocol. Fourteen premature infants (eight boys and six girls), nine in the early stage of BPD secondary to RDS (BPD infants) and five LBW infants, were the subjects of this study. Informed consent was obtained from each patient's parents. Our definition of BPD was based on three criteria: requirement of positive pressure ventilation as treatment for RDS in the 1st wk of...