Maternal administration of dexamethasone in severe pregnancy-induced hypertension

Fourteen patients with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension and low lecithin/sphingomyelin (L/S) ratios were treated with 5 mg of dexamethasone phosphate intramuscularly every 12 hours for four doses to induce fetal pulmonary maturity. A comparison was made of the average gestational age, mean L/S ratio, method of delivery, Apgar scores, mean birth weight, and incidence of respiratory distress syndrome in these patients and in 16 patients with similar demographic backgrounds and clinical presentations who did not receive corticosteroid therapy. There was no significant difference between the two groups except that the time of treatment (or nontreatment) to delivery was longer in the steroid group. There were two cases of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome in the treatment group, and one of these infants died. In the control group, there were two neonatal deaths among four cases of respiratory distress syndrome. There was no clinical evidence of intraventricular hemorrhage in any neonate nor was there aggravation of hypertension in the parturient patients. The administration of corticosteroids to induce fetal pulmonary maturity in patients with severe pregnancy-induced hypertension who are carefully selected and monitored does not appear to be contraindicated.