Effects into adulthood of single or repeated antenatal corticosteroids in sheep.
OBJECTIVE
To determine effects of maternal or fetal injections of betamethasone on postnatal growth and arterial pressure.


METHODS
We measured body weight, arterial pressure, and heart rate serially in sheep born after single or repeated maternal or fetal betamethasone injections. At approximately 3.5 years, organ weights were measured.


RESULTS
Repeated maternal betamethasone injections caused intrauterine growth restriction, and low body weight and blood pressure at 3 months. From 6 months to 3 years, body weight, blood pressure, and heart rate were not affected by treatment. At approximately 3.5 years, brain weight was reduced after single or repeated maternal betamethasone by 13% and 18%, respectively (P = .001). Fetal betamethasone reduced brain weight by 7% to 8% (P = .018). Weights of other organs were not affected by treatment. Brain weight was unrelated to body weight at approximately 3.5 years (P = .649) but was related to birth weight (P = .029).


CONCLUSIONS
Prenatal betamethasone does not have long-term effects on blood pressure but causes a persistent deficit in brain weight.
Moss
Timothy J M
TJ
School of Women's and Infants' Health, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Australia. tmoss@cyllene.uwa.edu.au
Doherty
Dorota A
DA
Nitsos
Ilias
I
Sloboda
Deborah M
DM
Harding
Richard
R
Newnham
John P
JP
D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001623:Betamethasone / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001921:Brain / Q000187:drug effects / Q000254:growth & development; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D005325:Fetal Organ Maturity / Q000187:drug effects*; D005333:Fetus / Q000187:drug effects*; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D007273:Injections, Intramuscular; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects; D011897:Random Allocation; D012756:Sheep
D005938:Glucocorticoids; D001623:Betamethasone