Abstract
Antenatal B has been shown to decrease the incidence and severity of RDS. Among low birth weight infants RLF remains the most common serious complication after intraventricular hemorrhage. Steroids have been used postnatally in an attempt to treat RLF, without success. However, the possible protective role of steroids has not been evaluated. In view of the extensive use of B in our center, we have assessed by multivariant analysis its effect on RLF. Among 204 infants in the 1000-1500gms category, no statistically significant difference was found between those who received B and those who did not. However, among the 51 infants weighing <1000gms B had significantly lowered the incidence of all grades of RLF from 40% to 17.9% (P=<0.05). Moreover the relative risk for cicatricial RLF which occurred only in 5 male infants was 5.8 times lower in infants who received B (44.4% vs 7.7%) Although this difference, because of the very small number of infants reached only borderline statistical significance (P=0.06), it is noteworthy that 4 out 5 infants who developed cicatricial RLF had not received B. In addition, the annual incidence of RLF in infants weighing <1000gms prior to 1978 (when extensive use of B was introduced) was 63.6%. It fell to 16.6% after 1978 (P = <0.001). Discriminant analysis of the various risk factors revealed B to be a significant independent variable for infants weighing <1000gms. Therefore B appears to play a role in reducing the incidence and possibly the severity of RLF in this extremely high risk group of premature infants.
Article PDF
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chemtob, S., Kunos, I. & Papageorgiou, A. 1364 PROTECIIVE ROLE OF BETAMETHASONE(B) ON RLF IN NEWBOENS WITH BIRTH WEIGHT OF <1000GMS. Pediatr Res 19, 338 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01388
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1203/00006450-198504000-01388