Abstract
Background: Neonatal respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) is a common serious chest disease that is caused by a deficiency of alveolar surfactant. Aim: Detection of the effect of melatonin supplementation in cases of neonatal RDS. Patients and Methods: A prospective randomized clinical trial study which was done at Tanta University Hospital from July 2016 to March 2018 on 100 neonates suffering from respiratory distress which was diagnosed as RDS. The studied neonates were divided into two groups: group 1, which had supplied with melatonin, and group 2, which had not supplied with melatonin. Grades of RDS, down score, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and interleukin-8 (IL-8) were measured on the 1st day and the 5th day of admission in the incubator. The duration of the presence of neonates in the incubator was determined, and the number of cases who needed mechanical ventilation (MV) was calculated. Results: There were significant differences in grades of RDS, Down score, MDA, SOD, IL-8 on the 5th day of admission between Group 1 and 2 (P = 0.001), and between 1st and 5th day of admission in Group 1 (P = 0.001). There was a significant difference between Groups 1 and 2 in the duration of the presence of neonates in the incubator (P = 0.001) and the number of cases who needed MV (P = 0.046). Conclusion: Melatonin supplementation could be used as adjuvant therapy for the treatment of RDS in neonates, but further studies involving a larger number of neonates must be performed on this topic. Recommendation: Melatonin supplementation for RDS neonates.