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Impact of antenatal steroids on intraventricular hemorrhage in very-low-birth weight infants

Journal of Perinatology volume 36, pages 352–356 (2016)Cite this article

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Abstract

Objective:

To determine the association between antenatal steroids administration and intraventricular hemorrhage rates.

Methods:

We used cross-sectional data from the California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative during 2007 to 2013 for infants ⩽32 weeks gestational age. Using multivariable logistic regression, we evaluated the effect of antenatal steroids on intraventricular hemorrhage, stratified by gestational age.

Results:

In 25 979 very-low-birth weight infants, antenatal steroid use was associated with a reduction in incidence of any grade of intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio=0.68, 95% confidence interval: 0.62, 0.75) and a reduction in incidence of severe intraventricular hemorrhage (odds ratio=0.51, 95% confidence interval: 0.45, 0.58). This association was seen across gestational ages ranging from 22 to 29 weeks.

Conclusions:

Although current guidelines recommend coverage for preterm birth at 24 to 34 weeks gestation, our results suggest that treatment with antenatal steroids may be beneficial even before 24 weeks of gestational age.

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Acknowledgements

The project was supported by grant number K23HD068400, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, or NIH. This project was funded by grant number K23HD068400, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD). JP was supported in part by a grant from NICHD 1 R01 HD083368-01A1 (PI Profit).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Berkeley School of Public Health, Berkeley, CA, USA

    J C Wei & R Catalano

  2. Division of Neonatal and Developmental Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA

    J Profit, J B Gould & H C Lee

  3. California Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative, Palo Alto, CA, USA

    J Profit, J B Gould & H C Lee

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  1. J C Wei
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  2. R Catalano
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  4. J B Gould
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Correspondence to H C Lee.

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The authors declare no conflict of interest.

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Supplementary Information accompanies the paper on the Journal of Perinatology website

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Wei, J., Catalano, R., Profit, J. et al. Impact of antenatal steroids on intraventricular hemorrhage in very-low-birth weight infants. J Perinatol 36, 352–356 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1038/jp.2016.38

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