Treatment using corticosteroids before delivery is effective in improving survival rates of preterm infants, according to a study in JAMA Pediatrics.
For the population-based prospective cohort study, researchers gathered data from 19 regions in 11 European countries in 2011 and 2012. The study included data on 4,594 preterm infants, born between 24 and 31 weeks.
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Of the 4,594 infants, 622 preterm babies were not exposed to corticosteroids before birth. Their mortality rate was 20.6 percent.
The study shows that administering corticosteroids to the mothers even just hours before delivery was associated with an immediate and rapid decline in mortality rates. Infants born three hours after corticosteroid administration had significantly lower mortality rates as compared to unexposed infants. Administering corticosteroids six to 12 hours before birth was linked to a 50 percent reduction in mortality risk.
"The infants of pregnant women at risk of imminent preterm delivery may benefit from [corticosteroid] use," study authors concluded.