Steroid injections given to pregnant women before premature birth may increase the child’s risk of later behavioural and emotional difficulties, a study has found. Mothers who are expected to give birth prematurely are often given an infusion of glucocorticoids, which mimic the natural hormone cortisol.
This treatment is vital for helping the baby’s lungs mature, but the new research suggests it may also increase the risk of mental health problems including attentiondeficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). The researchers studied 37 children who were exposed to synthetic glucocorticoids before birth and compared them to 185 children who were born at the same gestational age but did not have glucocorticoid treatment. A much larger comparison group of 6079 children, matched carefully on pregnancy and infant characteristics, was also examined to confirm the findings. The children who had the treatment had poorer scores on general mental health at ages eight and 16, and were more likely to show symptoms of ADHD. Alina Rodriguez, the senior author of the study, visiting professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London, said: “Although this is the largest study so far to look at these risks, the number of children in our group who were exposed to glucocorticoids was still relatively small. More studies will be needed to confirm the findings. “We would like to reassure parents that, in light of all available evidence to date, the benefits of steroid treatment on immediate infant health and survival are well-established and outweigh any possible risk of long-term behavioural/emotional difficulties.” The study, by researchers at Imperial College London and the University of Oulu, Finland, is published in the journal PLOS ONE.
