Comparison of umbilical cord interleukin-6 in preterm infants with premature rupture of membranes and intact membranes.

Objective: To compare inflammatory mediators in the cord blood of premature newborn infants with premature rupture of membranes (PROM) and intact membranes.

Methods: Eighty-nine premature neonates with gestational age of 27-34 weeks that delivered in Ghaem Hospital in Mashhad, Iran from June 2005 to March 2006 were enrolled in a prospective observational study, and their umbilical cord plasma was collected at birth. They were allocated into 2 groups (45 patients with PROM, and 44 neonates with intact membranes).