Objective Hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) is an important cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. It is thought that activation of the inflammatory cascade triggered by hypoxia and ischemia might play a role in the pathogenesis of HIE. Resistin is a newly described hormone which has been suggested to have a potential role in mediating inflammatory response. The aim of this study was to compare resistin levels between newborns with HIE and controls.

Methods Full-term babies born with asphyxia (n = 35) were included in this study. Non-hypoxic babies (n = 21) whose gestational age and birth weight were similar were selected as a control group. Babies in the study group were graded according to the classification described by Sarnat and Sarnat. Blood samples for the assay of resistin, urea, creatinine, glucose, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), creatine phosphokinase (CPK), uric acid, CRP and IL-6 were taken in the first hours of life from babies in both groups.

Results There was a positive correlation between resistin levels and CPK (r = 0.51, p = 0.000), urea (r = 0.35, p = 0.007), creatinine (r = 0.51, p = 0.000), uric acid (r = 0.55, p = 0.000), ALT (r = 0.45, p = 0.000), IL-6 (r = 0.48, p = 0.006), and CRP (r = 0.43, p = 0.01) levels in the study group. Median plasma resistin levels were higher in the patients with grade 3 HIE than in control group (p = 0.01) and babies with grade 1 HIE (p = 0.04).

Conclusion The results of this study demonstrated that newborns with severe HİE had higher resistin levels than non-hypoxic babies and with mild HİE; and the levels were correlated with the severity of disease.