Antioxidant Status in Neonatal Sepsis: A Case Control Study

Objective: Assessment of catalase, superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione levels in neonatal sepsis. Methods: This case-control study was conducted from October 2017 to October 2018. All the patients having features suggestive of sepsis were subjected to a sepsis screen and blood culture. SOD, catalase, and glutathione assay was done in study subjects qualifying inclusion and exclusion criteria and in controls by spectrophotometric assay. Results: This study consisted of 58 cases and 46 controls. Out of 58 cases, 36 (62.07%) were male, 45 (77.59%) were term, and 23 (39.66%) cases were of normal birth weight. The levels of catalase (P value = .0037) and glutathione (P value = .0009) were lower, while SOD was higher (P value = .0122) among cases with neonatal sepsis than controls. Conclusion: This study helps us in understanding antioxidant status in neonatal sepsis. However, studies with a larger sample size are needed to further understand inflammatory and antioxidant cascade.