ArticleJAMA dermatology2021
Evaluation of Topical Corticosteroid Use in Pregnancy and Risk of Newborns Being Small for Gestational Age and Having Low Birth Weight.
Article in JAMA dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- International Consensus Guideline on Small for Gestational Age: Etiology and Management From Infancy to Early Adulthood.Endocrine reviews · 2023Guideline
- Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis in Pregnancy: Current Evidence and Clinical Considerations.Cureus · 2026Review
- Psoriasis: Considerations for the Management of Women of Childbearing Potential.American journal of clinical dermatology · 2025Review
- Breathing for Two: Asthma Management, Treatment, and Safety of Pharmacological Therapy during Pregnancy.Medicines (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Review
- Role of ghrelin in promoting catch-up growth and maintaining metabolic homeostasis in small-for-gestational-age infants.Frontiers in pediatrics · 2024Review
- The impact of gender and sex in psoriasis: What to be aware of when treating women with psoriasis.International journal of women's dermatology · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
importanceTopical corticosteroids are frequently used during pregnancy. Limited data have raised concerns about an increased risk of the newborn being small for gestational age (SGA) and having low birth weight, in particular with use of potent to very potent agents during pregnancy.
objectiveTo evaluate whether topical corticosteroid use in pregnancy is associated with increased risks of SGA and low birth weight. DESIGN, SETTING, AND
participantsFrom a source cohort of 1.1 million pregnancies with individual-level informed data from various registries, this nationwide cohort study identified topical corticosteroid-exposed pregnancies in Denmark from January 1, 1997, to December 31, 2016, for a total of 60 497, that were matched with 241 986 unexposed pregnancies on the basis of propensity scores, including a wide set of baseline characteristics. Data analysis was performed from September 8, 2020, to February 23, 2021. EXPOSURES: Filled prescriptions for topical corticosteroids during pregnancy. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Primary outcomes were SGA and low birth weight. Association between outcomes and exposure was assessed by relative risk ratios (RRs) and absolute risk differences (ARDs).
resultsAmong the 60 497 matched pregnancies exposed to topical corticosteroids, 5678 (9.4%) of the delivered infants were born SGA compared with 22 634 infants (9.4%) among the matched unexposed pregnancies (RR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.98-1.03 and ARD, 0.3; 95% CI, -2.3 to 2.9 per 1000 pregnancies). Low birth weight occurred in 2006 (3.3%) of the exposed pregnancies compared with 8675 (3.6%) of the unexposed pregnancies (RR, 0.92; 95% CI, 0.88-0.97 and ARD, -2.7; 95% CI, -4.3 to -1.1 per 1000 pregnancies). Exposure to potent to very potent topical corticosteroids at any amount was not associated with an increased risk of SGA (RR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.99-1.07) or low birth weight (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.88-1.00). Post hoc analyses did not find a significant increased risk among those receiving large amounts of potent to very potent topical corticosteroids (ie, >200 g throughout pregnancy) compared with unexposed pregnancies (RR, 1.17; 95% CI, 0.95-1.46 for SGA and RR 1.14; 95% CI, 0.81-1.60 for low birth weight). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: This large cohort study found no association between topical corticosteroid use in pregnancy and an increased risk of SGA or low birth weight. These results suggest that a moderate to large increase in the risk is unlikely, even when large amounts of potent to very potent topical corticosteroids are used in pregnancy.
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