Betamethasone vs dexamethasone for the prevention of morbidity in very-low-birthweight neonates.

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to compare neonatal outcomes in very-low-birthweight infants who were exposed to antenatal betamethasone vs dexamethasone.

STUDY DESIGN

We reviewed all inborn very-low-birthweight infants from January 1997 through February 2006. Maternal medical records were reviewed to determine the type of antenatal steroids that each patient received; neonatal outcomes were compared using chi-square and Student t tests.

RESULTS

There were 334 very-low-birthweight infants who met the criteria for evaluation: 186 infants received betamethasone, and 148 infants received dexamethasone. There were no differences in race, gestational age at delivery, or mean birthweight between the 2 groups. There were significantly lower rates of respiratory distress syndrome and bronchopulmonary dysplasia in the betamethasone group, compared with the dexamethasone group. Other neonatal outcomes were similar in both groups.

CONCLUSION

Antenatal betamethasone was associated with a significantly lower rate of pulmonary complications caused by prematurity, when compared with dexamethasone.