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NeoReviews Vol.7 No.5 2006 e259
© 2006 American Academy of Pediatrics

Prenatal Corticosteroids

A Neonatologist’s Perspective

^* Division of Pulmonary Biology, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, University of Cincinnati School of Medicine, Cincinnati, Ohio

The first 300 words of the full text of this article appear below.

	Objectives

 
After completing this article, readers should be able to:

1. Describe the standard of care for prenatal corticosteroids for women in preterm labor prior to 34 weeks’ gestation.
   
2. Describe the effects of prenatal corticosteroids on the fetus.
   
3. List the preferred corticosteroid for prenatal treatments.
   
4. Explain the recommendation regarding not using repetitive courses of prenatal corticosteroids.
   

	Introduction

 
Prenatal glucocorticoids are standard of care for women at high risk of preterm delivery prior to 34 weeks’ gestation because randomized, controlled trials and extensive meta-analyses demonstrate decreased death and improved outcomes, primarily related to less respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) and a decreased incidence of intraventricular hemorrhages (IVH) (Fig. 1). (1) However, it is worth remembering that the benefits of prenatal corticosteroids initially were demonstrated in 1972, and most of the trials were completed before 1985. Most infants in the trials were delivered after 28 weeks’ gestation and in the presurfactant era, when mortality rates for infants whose birthweights were less than 1 kg were high and when obstetric management differed from current practice. Maternal corticosteroid therapy is validated practice, but care strategies proven to be effective may lose effectiveness as other aspects of care change and the target population most likely to benefit changes. This review asks a series of questions to frame the overriding question of how antenatal corticosteroids should be used in 2006.

View larger version (19K): [in this window] [in a new window]   Figure 1. Meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of prenatal corticosteroids. Adapted from Crowley. (1)

	What Are the Present Recommendations for the Use of Prenatal Corticosteroids?

1. The benefits of prenatal corticosteroids outweigh any risks that have been identified. The benefits include decreased death and decreased incidence of RDS and IVH.
   
2. All fetuses at 24 . . . [Full Text of this Article]

This article has been cited by other articles:

				A. H. Jobe The New BPD NeoReviews, October 1, 2006; 7(10): e531 - e545. [Full Text] [PDF]