Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33957112›Full record

ArticleAmerican journal of obstetrics and gynecology2021

Are newborn outcomes different for term babies who were exposed to antenatal corticosteroids?

Alexandra H McKinzie, Ziyi Yang, Evgenia Teal, Joanne K Daggy, Robert S Tepper, Sara K Quinney, Eli Rhoads, Laura S Haneline, David M Haas

Open access · greenAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in American journal of obstetrics and gynecology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.3field-weighted citation impact, top 11% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 20 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Betamethasone latency period and neonatal hypoglycemia in term infants.The journal of maternal-fetal & neonatal medicine : the official journal of the European Association of Perinatal Medicine, the Federation of Asia and Oceania Perinatal Societies, the International Society of Perinatal Obstetricians · 2025
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Alexandra H McKinzieDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Ziyi YangDepartment of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Evgenia TealRegenstrief Institute, Indianapolis, IN.
Joanne K DaggyDepartment of Biostatistics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Robert S TepperDivision of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Sara K QuinneyDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Eli RhoadsDivision of Pediatric Pulmonology, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
Laura S HanelineDivision of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN.
David M HaasDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN. Electronic address: dahaas@iupui.edu.
Indiana University School of MedicineRegenstrief Institute · US

Funding

Quality Assurance and Quality Control Project Management: Improving Submissions and Study Conduct in the Human Subjects Research Prior Approval ProcessUL1TR002529 · NCATS · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI MOE, SHARON M, WIEHE, SARAH ELIZABETH · 2018 to 2022
$27.2M
Pharmacokinetics and modeling of betamethasone therapy in threatened preterm birthR01HD088014 · NICHD · INDIANA UNIVERSITY INDIANAPOLIS · PI HAAS, DAVID M. · 2016 to 2020
$2.6M
NCATS NIH HHS UL1 TR002529NICHD NIH HHS R01 HD088014
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAntenatal corticosteroids improve newborn outcomes for preterm infants. However, predicting which women presenting for threatened preterm labor will have preterm infants is inaccurate, and many women receive antenatal corticosteroids but then go on to deliver at term.

objectiveThis study aimed to compare the short-term outcomes of infants born at term to women who received betamethasone for threatened preterm labor with infants who were not exposed to betamethasone in utero. STUDY

designWe performed a retrospective cohort study of infants born at or after 37 weeks' gestational age to mothers diagnosed as having threatened preterm labor during pregnancy. The primary neonatal outcomes of interest included transient tachypnea of the newborn, neonatal intensive care unit admission, and small for gestational age and were evaluated for their association with betamethasone exposure while adjusting for covariates using multiple logistic regression.

resultsOf 5330 women, 1459 women (27.5%) received betamethasone at a mean gestational age of 32.2±3.3 weeks. The mean age of women was 27±5.9 years and the mean gestational age at delivery was 38.9±1.1 weeks. Women receiving betamethasone had higher rates of maternal comorbidities (P<.001 for diabetes mellitus, asthma, and hypertensive disorder) and were more likely to self-identify as White (P=.022). Betamethasone-exposed neonates had increased rates of transient tachypnea of the newborn, neonatal intensive care unit admission, small for gestational age, hyperbilirubinemia, and hypoglycemia (all, P<.05). Controlling for maternal characteristics and gestational age at delivery, betamethasone exposure was not associated with a diagnosis of transient tachypnea of the newborn (adjusted odds ratio, 1.10; 95% confidence interval, 0.80-1.51), although it was associated with more neonatal intensive care unit admissions (adjusted odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.19-1.86) and higher odds of the baby being small for gestational age (adjusted odds ratio, 1.78; 95% confidence interval, 1.48-2.14).

conclusionCompared with women evaluated for preterm labor who did not receive betamethasone, women receiving betamethasone had infants with higher rates of neonatal intensive care unit admission and small for gestational age. Although the benefits of betamethasone to infants born preterm are clear, there may be negative impacts for infants delivered at term.

Indexed as

Prenatal CareTerm BirthAdultBetamethasoneCohort StudiesFemaleGestational AgeGlucocorticoidsHumansInfant, NewbornInfant, Small for Gestational AgeIntensive Care Units, NeonatalObstetric Labor, PrematurePatient AdmissionPregnancyRespiratory Distress Syndrome, NewbornBetamethasoneGlucocorticoidsantenatal corticosteroidsgrowthnewborn outcomesNICU admission

Identifiers

PMID33957112
PMCPMC8563505
OpenAlexW3127449009

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.