Fetal gender and cocaine exposure as determinants of cord blood gamma-glutamyl transferase activity.

Objective: The serum activity of the hepatic enzyme gamma-glutamyl transferase (GGT) is elevated in the newborn relative to older age groups. Few reports to date have studied the influence of perinatal factors on neonatal serum GGT and no study has assessed the influence of maternal drug ingestion.

Study Design: Cord blood was randomly collected from 234 liveborn infants and correlated with a range of maternal and fetal perinatal variables to assess influences on cord blood GGT.