A study of urinary uric acid/creatinine ratio as an additional marker of birth asphyxia

Perinatal asphyxia refers to an impairment of the normal oxygenation during parturition and the ensuing adverse effects on the fetus/neonate. It is one of the major causes of early neonatal mortality in India. Among the institutional births, incidence is 5% and accounts for 24.3% of neonatal deaths. It is an insult to fetus or newborn due to lack of oxygen (hypoxia) or lack of perfusion (ischemia) to various organs of sufficient magnitude and duration. The aim of the study was to observe the urinary uric acid to creatnine ratio in patients with perinatal birth asphyxia in a hospital setting. It was concluded that UUA/Cr concentration increase considerably after birth asphyxia, and the increase is associated with severity of HIE with a poorer outcome. Hence, UUA/Cr might have an important role in diagnosing and predicting the outcome of perinatal asphyxia.