Antenatal corticosteroids linked to higher infection risk throughout childhood

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2025-10-14 02:00

Australia; International; NSW; VIC

What does this mean?

Jump to: MultimediaAttachmentsExpert Reaction

Medications given to women considered at risk of preterm birth are linked to an increased risk of infections throughout the baby's childhood, according to Australian researchers who say this link does not apply to very preterm births. Antenatal corticosteroids are prescribed when a preterm birth is anticipated to help the baby develop and improve its chance of survival. Studying a cohort of 1.5 million mother-child pairs including 50,000 antenatal corticosteroid-exposed pregnancies, the researchers say children born at 34 weeks or longer went on to develop more respiratory and non-respiratory infections throughout their childhood and teens. However, they say there was no link between the medication and infection risk for babies born earlier than 34 weeks. The researchers say this indicates we may need to improve preterm birth prediction strategies to be more discerning about who is prescribed these corticosteroids.