Pyridinium Crosslinks (Pyd) in the Urine is Associated with Stunting in Neonates

Aims: The aim of the research is to evaluate the reliability of bone resorption biomarkers called Pyridinium Crosslinks (Pyd) in the urine of the neonates as an evaluation to bone growth of the neonate, as an indicator of stunting.

Study Design: A cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Andini Mothers and Children Hospital (Pekanbaru, Indonesia). Duration of the study was between, August until September 2014.

Methodology: Subjects of study were 35 healthy neonates. Subjects were recruited at the first 3 days of life. Body length gauges, digital weighting scale, family socioeconomic questionnaires and Pyd kit were used to collect the data. Differences in the mean of the research variables were tested using an Independent t-test.

Results: Results showed that there were significant differences (p<0.01) in terms of height for age and Pyd in the urine of stunted (body length <48 cm) versus normal (body length ≥48 cm) neonates. The contents of Pyd in the urine of stunted neonates were 982.9±61.6 and normal neonates was 594.1±266.1 nmol/mmol.

Conclusion: Therefore, there is a possible association between height for age and Pyd in the urine as a potential early indicators to identify stunted and normal neonates.