Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) in complicated course of respiratory disorders in newborns

Golubeva A.D., Novikova V.I., Derkach Yu.N.

Vitebsk State Medical University, Belarus
Vitebsk Regional Children's Clinical Center, Belarus

Introduction. The pathology of the respiratory tract during the neonatal period remains one of the leading causes of morbidity in children. Respiratory disorders lead to severe consequences for the subsequent quality of life of the child. Therefore, early diagnosis of complicated course is critical for optimizing the prognosis in respiratory distress syndrome and congenital pneumonia.
The aim of the work was to assess the severity of the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps in the peripheral blood in pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome in newborns.
Material and methods. We observed 2 groups of newborns: 35 newborns with neonatal pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome, and the control group consisted of 15 "almost healthy" newborns without respiratory tract pathology.
Results. It was found that pneumonia and respiratory distress syndrome occur against the background of increased formation of neutrophil extracellular traps (NET) in the peripheral blood, the number of which was significantly greater than in the control group (1.2 [0.8; 2.1] and 0.6 [ 0.3; 1.4], respectively (p=0.02)). The percentage of NETs in the blood was also higher in the group of children with respiratory disorders (p=0.0005). A correlation was found between the severity of pneumonia and increased netosis by the 3-5th day of life in premature infants. The percentage of neutrophil extracellular traps of more than 23% in blood on the third -fifth day of life can be used as an additional diagnostic criterion for a complicated and unfavorable course of pneumonia and RDS in newborns.
Conclusion. Determination of the percentage of neutrophil extracellular traps in the peripheral blood makes it possible to determine the possibility of developing complications in respiratory disorders in newborns and to initiate adequate therapeutic and preventive measures in a timely manner.