Unaltered neonatal cell-mediated immunity after prenatal dexamethasone treatment

To evaluate the effect of prenatal short-term dexamethasone therapy on neonatal cell-mediated immunity, 6 premature infants born after such therapy and 4 controls of the same age were studied by determining blood leukocyte count, relative and absolute amount of acid alphanaphthyl acetate esterase (ANAE)-positive cells, and lymphocyte response to both phytohemagglutinin (PHA) and pokeweed mitogen (PWM) stimulation. All parameters studied were similar in newborns with or without prenatal maternal dexamethasone treatment. The increase in the number of lymphocytes and ANAE-positive cells during the first week of life was similar in both groups. The neonatal peripheral blood lymphocyte function thus does not seem to be disturbed by prenatal short-term dexamethasone treatment.