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Objective This study aimed to determine whether administration of a late preterm (34–36 weeks) course of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) is associated with improved short-term neonatal outcomes among pregnancies complicated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) who delivered in the late preterm period.

Study Design A single tertiary center retrospective cohort study, including pregnant individuals with singleton fetuses who delivered between 34.0 and 36.6 weeks following an HDP diagnosis. Exclusion criteria were major fetal anomalies and treatment with ACS before 34 weeks. Cases were divided into two groups: exposed group, consisting of individuals treated with a late ACS course, and nonexposed group, receiving no ACS. The primary outcome was a composite adverse neonatal outcome, including intensive care unit admission, oxygen treatment, noninvasive positive pressure ventilation, mechanical ventilation, respiratory distress syndrome, transient tachypnea, or apnea of prematurity. Secondary neonatal outcomes included birth weight, Apgar score, intraventricular hemorrhage, necrotizing enterocolitis, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, surfactant use, hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, sepsis, and neonatal death. Multivariable regression models were used to determine adjusted odds ratio (aOR)and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results Of 7,624 preterm singleton deliveries during the study period, 438 (5.7%) were diagnosed with HDP and delivered between 34.0 and 36.6 weeks. Infants who received ACS were diagnosed more commonly with fetal growth restriction (16.0 vs. 5.6%, p < 0.01) and were delivered at an earlier gestational age (GA) (mean GA: 35.6 vs. 36.3 weeks, p < 0.01). The composite neonatal morbidity did not differ between the groups after adjustments (aOR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.47, 1.98). Neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia were more common in the exposed group than in the nonexposed group (46.9 vs. 27.4%; aOR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.26, 4.08 and 64.2 vs. 46.5%; aOR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.16, 3.72 respectively).

Conclusion In people with HDP, a course of ACS given in the late preterm period did not improve neonatal morbidity.

Key Points

In people with HDP, a late preterm ACS course did not improve neonatal morbidity.

Respiratory morbidity rate was similar between infants who received late ACS and those who did not.

Neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia were more common in infants who received late ACS.

Keywords antenatal corticosteroids - late preterm - hypertensive disorders - respiratory distress - hypoglycemia Note

This study was presented as a poster presentation at the Annual Scientific Meeting of the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Maryland on February 10, 2024.

Publication History

Received: 11 May 2024

Accepted: 29 June 2024

Article published online:
24 July 2024

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