Evaluation of Long-Term Outcomes Associated With Preterm Exposure to Antenatal Corticosteroids: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis

(Abstracted from JAMA Pediatr 2022;176:e220483) Pregnancies at risk for preterm birth are treated with antenatal corticosteroids, which have been found to lower the morbidity and mortality of preterm babies. Clinical guidelines advocate for the use of antenatal corticosteroids, although studies in animals have found an association between exposure to antenatal corticosteroids and harmful neurological outcomes, including diminished cortical surface, alterations to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, decreased blood flow in specific brain areas, and loss of essential synaptic proteins.