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Antenatal steroid therapy: have we undervalued the risks?

Ralph L Cavalieri1, Wayne R Cohen

  • 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center and the Weill-Cornell Medical College, New York, NY, USA. rlc9@Earthlink.net

The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine : the Official Journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians
|June 7, 2006
PubMed

Antenatal corticosteroid therapy to enhance fetal lung maturation in pregnancies at risk for preterm delivery is used commonly, based on the assumption that its established benefits outweigh associated risks. Corticosteroid treatment does confer some risks, particularly with respect to restricted brain growth and disordered neuronal development. These alterations have the potential for long-term effects on health. They deserve further study, and should not be undervalued. Corticosteroid therapy should be applied selectively in those situations in which the risk of preterm birth is very high and the likelihood of severe respiratory distress syndrome substantial.

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