Relação da idade gestacional, parâmetros neonatais e intercorrências clínicas com o comprimento relativo dos telômeros em recém-nascidos

Abstract

Introduction: Pregnancy is a critical period of human development, during which biological and environmental factors may influence mechanisms related to health throughout life. In this context, telomeres play a fundamental role in maintaining genomic stability and are considered biomarkers of cellular aging. Changes in telomere length during the perinatal period may reflect intrauterine exposures and early clinical conditions, with possible repercussions for health throughout life. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between gestational age, neonatal parameters, and clinical complications and relative telomere length in newborns. Methods: This was an observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted with mother–newborn dyads receiving care in the maternity ward, nursery, and Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of the Hospital Regional do Oeste, in Chapecó, Santa Catarina, Brazil, between June 2024 and April 2026. Sociodemographic, obstetric, and neonatal data were obtained through structured interviews and medical record review and were entered twice into EpiData 3.1, followed by checking and validation. Gestational age, sex, birth weight, Apgar scores at the fifth and tenth minutes of life, head circumference, chest circumference, birth length, and neonatal complications were assessed. Neonatal complications were classified as metabolic/hematological, cardiovascular, respiratory, neurological, infectious, congenital malformations, other complications, and multiple complications. Relative telomere length was determined in oral mucosa samples using real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). Data normality was assessed using the Shapiro–Wilk test. For comparisons of relative telomere length, the Kruskal–Wallis test was used to compare three groups, followed by Dunn’s test for multiple comparisons, while the Mann–Whitney test was used to compare two groups. For continuous anthropometric variables, Pearson’s or Spearman’s correlation coefficients were used according to data distribution. Statistical analyses were performed using PSPP and the Statistics Kingdom online platform, with a significance level of 5%. Results: A total of 145 mother–newborn dyads were evaluated. Most newborns were born at term (74.5%), had adequate birth weight (80.7%), and had no neonatal complications (61.6%). Among the postpartum women, most were aged 21–34 years (80.7%), had a high educational level (63.4%), and had a partner (89.6%). No statistically significant differences were observed in relative telomere length according to gestational age, birth weight, Apgar scores, anthropometric measurements, or the presence of neonatal complications (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In the sample studied, gestational age, neonatal parameters, and clinical complications were not significantly related with relative telomere length at birth. These findings contribute to expanding knowledge regarding telomere dynamics during the neonatal period and reinforce the need for longitudinal studies with larger sample sizes and greater representation of preterm newborns and different neonatal complications to clarify the influence of perinatal factors on telomere biology.