Magnesium sulfate for tocolysis and risk of spastic cerebral palsy in premature children born to women without preeclampsia.
OBJECTIVE
Our aim was to examine magnesium sulfate tocolysis and cerebral palsy in infants born prematurely to women without preeclampsia.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective case-control study of infants with birth weights <1500 g and of infants with birth weights from 1500 to 1999 g who were born at <33 weeks' gestation. The study infants were born in level 2 or level 3 hospitals from 1988 through 1994 to women without preeclampsia, were delivered >3 hours after admission, and had survived to age 2 years.


RESULTS
Among 170 children with cerebral palsy and 288 control subjects, similar proportions of case mothers (58%) and control mothers (62%) had received magnesium sulfate tocolysis. In women with some tocolytic treatment, these proportions were 78% and 76%, respectively. The duration of treatment with magnesium was comparable for case and control women, as were the intervals from beginning and termination of treatment to delivery. Adjustment for gestational age, birth weight, and other variables did not alter this result.


CONCLUSIONS
Magnesium exposure was not associated with a lower risk of cerebral palsy in infants born prematurely to women without preeclampsia. The difference between this finding and that in our previous study showing an apparent neuroprotective effect of magnesium is not explained by the more restrictive selection criteria used here and may be related to a number of changes in medical practice between the 2 periods.
Grether
J K
JK
March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation/California Department of Health Services, California Birth Defects Monitoring Program, Auckland, CA 94606, USA.
Hoogstrate
J
J
Walsh-Greene
E
E
Nelson
K B
KB
D001724:Birth Weight; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002547:Cerebral Palsy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D005865:Gestational Age; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D016015:Logistic Models; D008278:Magnesium Sulfate / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011225:Pre-Eclampsia; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D015145:Tocolysis
D008278:Magnesium Sulfate