[Antenatal corticosteroids in respiratory distress syndrome prevention: efficacy in relation to treatment--delivery interval].

Antenatal corticosteroids given to women, who are 24 to 34 weeks pregnant and may deliver within the next 24 hours to 7 days, are associated with significant reduction in rates of respiratory distress syndrome, intraventricular hemorrhage and mortality of pre-term babies. The aim of this study is assessment of antenatal corticosteroid effectiveness in reduction of RDS incidence in optimal delivery-treatment interval, in comparison to babies delivered before and after the optimal treatment interval has elapsed. This investigation included 80 pre-term babies between 26 and 34 gestational weeks whose mothers received corticosteroids before delivery. Control group consisted of 92 children of the same gestational age, whose mothers did not received corticosteroids antenatally. Babies of diabetic mothers, babies with IUGR and babies with congenital abnormalities were excluded. RDS was significantly less frequent in babies antenatally treated by corticosteroids (x2 31,473 p < 0.0001 coefficient contingency 0.366) then in babies whose mothers did not received corticosteroids before delivery. The majority of babies, 54.67% (p < 0.01) were born in optimal interval, 24 hours to 7 days from the beginning of the treatment, 32.0% (24/75) children were born within 24 hours and 13.3% (10/75) were born more then 7 days after the start of treatment. Comparing the incidence of RDS between groups of children born in optimal treatment-delivery interval (1 -7 days) and in the group of children born within 24 hours or after 7 days from the beginning of the treatment, no significant difference was found. The effect was clinically comparable, which suggests the possibility of reduction treatment-delivery interval in acute clinical conditions.