Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40987824›Full record

ArticlePediatric research2026

Total hydrocortisone dosage in extremely low birth weight infants and neurodevelopment up to school age.

Akinobu Taniguchi, Basile Chrétien, Takashi Maeda, Kazuto Ueda, Ryosuke Miura, Ryuichi Tanaka, Toshihiko Suzuki, Yukako Muramatsu, Erina Kataoka, Eiko Kato and 7 more

Abstract readMulticenter Study
In one paragraph

Article in Pediatric research, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Akinobu TaniguchiDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan. akinobut7@nagoya-u.jp.
Basile ChrétienBiostatistics Section, Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Takashi MaedaDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Kazuto UedaDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Ryosuke MiuraDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Ryuichi TanakaDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Toshihiko SuzukiDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Yukako MuramatsuDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Erina KataokaDepartment of Pediatrics, Anjo Kosei Hospital, Anjo, Japan.
Eiko KatoDepartment of Pediatrics, Tosei General Hospital, Seto, Japan.
Hikaru YamamotoDepartment of Neonatology, Toyota Memorial Hospital, Toyota, Japan.
Koji TakemotoDepartment of Pediatrics, Konan Kosei Hospital, Konan, Japan.
Miharu ItoDepartment of Pediatrics, Ogaki Municipal Hospital, Ogaki, Japan.
Seiji HayashiDepartment of Pediatrics, Okazaki City Hospital, Okazaki, Japan.
Yuichiro SugiyamaDepartment of Pediatrics, Japanese Red Cross Aichi Medical Center Nagoya Daiichi Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Kazuki NishidaBiostatistics Section, Department of Advanced Medicine, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan.
Yoshiaki SatoDivision of Neonatology, Center for Maternal-Neonatal Care, Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Japan. y.sato@nagoya-u.jp.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAn association between total hydrocortisone (HC) dosage in infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW) and subsequent neurodevelopmental outcomes up to school age remains unclear.

methodWe conducted a retrospective longitudinal cohort study across eight centers in Japan, including ELBW infants born between 2015 and 2017. We investigated the association between total HC dosage administered up to 36 weeks postmenstrual age and neurodevelopmental outcomes to school age.

resultsLinear mixed model analysis showed a significant association between higher HC dosage and lower developmental and intelligence quotient (DQ/IQ) scores. This trend persisted at 6 years of age, suggesting a sustained effect of HC on cognitive outcomes. For every 10 mg increase in HC dosage, IQ scores decreased by 2.82 points (95% CI: -3.89 to -1.06, p = 0.001). The interaction term between HC dosage and time was not statistically significant (0.10, 95% CI: -0.18 to 0.37, p = 0.481), suggesting the association of HC dosage on DQ/IQ did not vary substantially throughout the study period.

conclusionsWe found a relationship between total neonatal HC dosage in ELBW infants and DQ/IQ scores over time that persisted at school age. Clinicians should be aware of this potential dose-dependent effect on neurodevelopmental outcomes. IMPACT: As neonatal dexamethasone administration is known to affect neurodevelopment outcomes, hydrocortisone (HC) is considered an alternative to dexamethasone as a glucocorticoid treatment. In infants with extremely low birth weight (ELBW), a relationship has been noted between total HC dosage and neurodevelopment in early childhood. We confirmed the association between total HC dosage in infants with ELBW and poor developmental and intelligence quotients to school age. Although HC is commonly used in the management of ELBW infants, clinicians should be aware of its potential dose-dependent effects on neurodevelopmental outcomes.

Indexed as

Child DevelopmentHydrocortisoneInfant, Extremely Low Birth WeightChildChild, PreschoolCognitionFemaleHumansInfantInfant, NewbornIntelligenceIntelligence TestsJapanLongitudinal StudiesMaleRetrospective StudiesHydrocortisone

Identifiers

PMID40987824
PMCPMC13102704

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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.