Trial reportArchives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition2013
Behavioural, educational and respiratory outcomes of antenatal betamethasone for term caesarean section (ASTECS trial).
Trial report in Archives of disease in childhood. Fetal and neonatal edition, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06716918 (The Effect of Antenatal Corticosteroids Prior to Planned Cesarean Section in Early Term on Neonatal Hypoglycemia), which is not on this map. Cited by 42 papers, 7 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
The Effect of Antenatal Corticosteroids Prior to Planned Cesarean Section in Early Term on Neonatal Hypoglycemia
Who cites it
42 citing papers in PubMed, 7 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 146 citations in OpenAlex.
- The proportions of term or late preterm births after exposure to early antenatal corticosteroids, and outcomes: systematic review and meta-analysis of 1.6 million infants.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Pooled it
- Antenatal corticosteroids prior to planned caesarean at term for improving neonatal outcomes.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Antenatal corticosteroids for impending late preterm (34-36+6 weeks) deliveries-A systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs.PloS one · 2021Pooled it
- European Consensus Guidelines on the Management of Respiratory Distress Syndrome - 2019 Update.Neonatology · 2019Guideline
- Corticosteroids for preventing neonatal respiratory morbidity after elective caesarean section at term.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2018Pooled it
- Antenatal corticosteroids for maturity of term or near term fetuses: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2016Pooled it
- Pooled it
- General health and social outcomes 50 years after exposure to antenatal betamethasone: follow-up of a randomised controlled trial.BMC medicine · 2024Trial
- Trial
- Fetal Cortisol Exposure and Offspring Socioemotional Development.Developmental psychobiology · 2026Article
- Antenatal Corticosteroid Administration and Childhood Respiratory Morbidity: A Regression Discontinuity Study.BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology · 2026Article
- Antenatal Corticosteroids and Infectious Diseases Throughout Childhood.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Article
- The influence of antenatal betamethasone timing on neonatal outcome in late preterm infants: a single-center cohort study.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2025Article
- Commentary: Antenatal corticosteroid prophylaxis in late preterms- short- and long-term effects and many open questions.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Article
- A comparison of short- and long-term prognoses between cases with and without antenatal corticosteroid administration in late preterm delivery: a nationwide population-based study.BMC pregnancy and childbirth · 2025Observational
- Antenatal corticosteroids in Singapore: a clinical and scientific assessment.Singapore medical journal · 2024Review
- Antenatal steroids elicited neurodegenerative-associated transcriptional changes in the hippocampus of preterm fetal sheep independent of lung maturation.BMC medicine · 2024Article
- Randomised placebo-controlled trial of antenatal corticosteroids for planned birth in twins (STOPPIT-3): study protocol.BMJ open · 2024Article
- A Reduction in Antenatal Steroid Dose Was Associated with Reduced Cardiac Dysfunction in a Sheep Model of Pregnancy.Reproductive sciences (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo determine whether antenatal betamethasone prior to elective term caesarean section (CS) affects long term behavioural, cognitive or developmental outcome, and whether the risk of asthma or atopic disease is reduced.
designA questionnaire based follow-up of a multicentre randomised controlled trial (Antenatal Steroids for Term Elective Caesarean Section, BMJ 2005).
settingFour UK study centres from the original trial.
participants862 participants from the four largest recruiting centres, 92% of the original study. 824 (96%) were traced and 799 (93%) were successfully contacted. Fifty-one percent (407/799) completed and returned the questionnaire. The children were aged 8-15 years (median 12.2 years, 52% girls). 386 gave consent to contact schools with 352 (91%) reports received.
main outcome measuresQuestionnaires including a strengths and difficulties questionnaire, International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood, general health and school performance.
resultsThere were no significant differences between children whose mothers received betamethasone and controls for the mean total strengths and difficulties questionnaire scores and subscores for hyperactivity, emotional symptoms, prosocial behaviour, conduct or peer problems. 25 (12%) children whose mothers received betamethasone had reported learning difficulties compared with 27 (14%) control children. The proportion of children who achieved standard assessment tests KS2 exams level 4 or above for mathematics, English or science was similar as were the rates of ever reported wheeze (30% vs 30%), asthma (24% vs 21%), eczema (34% vs 37%) and hay fever (25% vs 27%).
conclusionsAntenatal betamethasone did not result in any adverse outcomes or reduction in asthma or atopy. It should be considered for elective CS at 37-38 weeks of gestation.
trial registration: Original trial was preregistration, the trial publication is BMJ. 2005 Sep 24;331(7518):662.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.