Antenatal Glucocorticoid Administration In A Nationwide Cohort Of Very Preterm And Very-Low-Birth-Weight Infants - Follow-Up At 5 Years Of Age

The relationship between antenatally administered glucocorticoids and overall outcome at 5 years of age, applying stepwise logistic regression analyses with 14 confounding factors, was studied. Data were collected on 1338 liveborn infants (gestational age <32 wks and/or birthweight < 1500 g) born in 1983 in the Netherlands. Data were analyzed in a subset of 671 infants (gest. age ≥ 26 and <32 wks) of whom 642 had been assessed at 5 years of age (loss to follow-up 4.3%). Overall outcome expressed as impairment, disability or handicap (WHO, 1980) was based on: congenital malformation, neuromotor function, mental development, hearing, visual function, language and speech development, musculoskeletal system, respiratory tract. There was no higher risk of impairment at 5 years of age in children of treated mothers versus non-treated mothers. With disability or handicap as outcome variables there was a significant interaction of glucocorticoid treatment and tocolysis. In the presence of tocolysis (>24 hours) there was no higher risk on disability or handicap at 5 years of age. In 13 children whose mothers received no tocolysis or only < 24 hours, the antenatal administration of glucocorticoids was associated with a significantly higher risk on disability or handicap, probably a result of confounding by indication of the treatment.