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Antenatal corticosteroid therapy: benefits and risks
Author(s) -
Baud O
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
acta pædiatrica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.772
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1651-2227
pISSN - 0803-5253
DOI - 10.1111/j.1651-2227.2004.tb03040.x
Subject(s) - medicine , betamethasone , dexamethasone , gestation , corticosteroid , obstetrics , pregnancy , premature birth , glucocorticoid , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , surgery , endocrinology , biology , genetics
Antenatal glucocorticoid therapy remains one the most striking successes in perinatal management of complicated pregnancies leading to premature birth. All women at risk of preterm delivery before 34 weeks gestation should be treated, given the anti‐inflammatory and maturative properties of fluorocorticoids. Betamethasone is preferred to dexamethasone and no more than two courses, two weeks apart, should be given, until the evidence from further controlled trials on repeated doses becomes available.