Torts and Personal Injury Law Center: Products Liability and Toxic Torts Blog: Emerging Drugs & Devices: Giving steroids to pregnant women at risk for premature birth may harm the baby

Emerging Drugs & Devices

2/24/2009 11:36:52 PM EST

Giving steroids to pregnant women at risk for premature birth may harm the baby

Partner, Ropers Majeski Kohn & Bentley

For three decades, it has been standard medical practice to give multiple courses of steroids to pregnant women at risk for delivering prematurely. However, a recent study in The Lancet looked at 1,858 pregnant women at high risk for premature birth. All received one course of steroids; some received additional courses of steroids and some placebos. Babies exposed to more doses of steroids weighed less, were shorter, and had a smaller head circumference at birth.

The study can be found at http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(08)61903-0/fulltext. An earlier, 1999 study also found adverse effects, and indicated the potential for more severe adverse outcomes for fetuses exposed to multiple (3+) courses of steorids, including death. See http://pt.wkhealth.com/pt/re/ajog/abstract.00000447-199909000-00033.htm;jsessionid=JkJCf5010rZnpGnfKqBwWmQxpQ3ZDG9G3KvH5LhQnhpth1wmf24y!-1429555639!181195629!8091!-1

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