title: Comparison of single and double courses of antenatal corticosteroid administration on neonatal mortality and morbidity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We aimed to evaluate the effects of single and double courses of antenatal corticosteroid administration on neonatal mortality and morbidity.
  
  
  METHODS
  232 preterm babies delivered between 01. April 2007 and 31. March 2008 with gestational ages of 26-34 weeks were evaluated prospectively. Infants were divided into three groups. The first group did not receive any antenatal betamethasone therapy. The second group received single (two doses of 12 mg betamethasone administered at 24 hour intervals) and the third group received double (repeated course after one week) courses of betamethasone therapy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  156 (67.2%) infants received at least one dose of corticosteroid treatment whereas 76 (37.8%) did not. Of 156 infants who had received antenatal betamethasone, 36 (23.1%) developed respiratory distress syndrome (RDS), while the incidence of RDS was 35.5% in 76 preterms who received no antenatal betamethasone (27/76) (p<0.05). When single and double courses of bethamethasone administration were compared, 20 (24.7%) infants with single course and 16 (21.3%) infants with two course developed RDS (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When single and two courses of antenatal steroid therapy were compared, there was no statistically significant difference between groups regarding the incidence of RDS and mechanical ventilator treatment.
authors.affiliation: Terme State Hospital, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hüseyin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ay
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Miğraci
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tosun
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Erdal
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Malatyalıoğlu
authors.affiliation: University of Ondokuz Mayis School of Medicine, Department of Neonatology Unit, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Canan
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Aygün
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet Bilge
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Handan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Celik
authors.affiliation: Ondokuz Mayis University Hospital, Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, Samsun, Turkey.
authors.forename: Fatma Devran
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Bıldırcın
keywords: Antenatal betamethasone therapy; preterm delivery; respiratory distress syndrome