‘Rescue Course’ of antenatal steroids to brighten hopes of expecting moms
by admin ~ May 29th, 2009.
As per a recently concluded study presented at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine’s (SMFM) annual meeting, premature babies who have been administered with a “rescue course” of Antenatal Corticosteroids (ACS) steroids are likely to withstand acute ailments better than those untreated with ACS.
This study, which was supported by the Pediatrix Medical Group, also revealed that pregnant women with high chances of premature delivery can be administered with steroids. Along with that, it was also found that babies treated with steroids easily withstand complications risking life by as much as a third with no side-effects.
From Bio-Medicine.Org:
“Premature babies are very susceptible to respiratory problems which may lead to additional severe complications,” said Dr. James Kurtzman, M.D. (Associate Professor, UC Irvine Medical Center). “Antenatal steroids clearly reduce the risk of these respiratory complications.”
Years ago doctors gave multiple courses of antenatal steroids to mothers who were at risk for delivering prematurely. However, certain studies found that there were possible adverse affects to multiple ACS courses because babies were found to have slightly smaller head circumferences and lower birth weights. As a result the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommended further study.
“The effect (of the NIH recommendation) was that doctors were only giving one ACS course, and they were nervous about when to give it for the best effect. They often waited until the last minute, and some women didn’t get a complete treatment or didn’t get it at all,” said Dr. Kurtzman. “What this study has found is that we can give women who threaten to deliver prematurely an initial ACS course, and if they remain pregnant, we can give one ‘rescue course‘ closer to delivery. By doing so, the babies’ complications are reduced by about a third with no adverse side effects found.”
These findings are expected to offer much relief to expecting moms. Furthermore, it is believed that the findings will help in reducing the levels of neonatal mortality in the United States.
Category: Anabolic Steroids | Tags: antenatal corticosteroids, antenatal steroids, preemies, premature babies