Serum Zinc, Copper and Albumin in Paired Mothers and Their Term Newborn in a Tertiary Hospital in Nigeria

Objective: This study assessed the serum zinc, copper and albumin levels in pairedmother and newborns in the immediate neonatal period to establish the relationship betweenthe pair, and the influence of maternal micronutrient status on that of thenewborn if any. Methods: Thesociodemographic characteristics of the mothers were obtained using astructured questioner after informed consent was obtained from the parents of the baby. Atdelivery, paired mother and newborns had their serum zinc, copper and albuminassayed, using cord blood in the newborn. Result: One hundred and thirty five mothers and their paired term newbornscompleted the study. The mean age of the mothers was 29.2 ± 4.6 yearswith 67% within the age bracket 20 to 30 years. Seventy three percent of themothers attained tertiary education and 22% had secondary education. The mean serum zincwas significantly higher in the newborn (3.67 ± 1.49μmol/L) than in the mothers (2.20 ± 1.01 μmol/L),p = 0.0001, with a feto-maternal ratio of 1.6to 1. Copper was significantly higher in the mothers (4.27 ± 1.77μmol/L), than in the newborns (2.84 ± 0.92μmol/L) (p = 0.001), with a maternal-fetal ratio of 1.5 to 1. Mean serumalbumin was significantly lower in the newborns than in the mothers (p u003e 0.011). Conclusion: This study established that term newborns have higher serum zinc, alower serum copper and albumin levels than their maternal levels. Thedistribution of these trace elements is probably protective in the newbornsagainst infection.