Antenatal Steroid Exposure and Pulmonary Outcomes in Adolescents Born With Very Low Birth Weight

OBJECTIVE: To compare asthma history and pulmonary function in adolescents born prematurely with very low birth weight with and without antenatal steroid exposure. STUDY DESIGN: We studied 188 fourteen-year-olds (94 exposed, 84 male). We used parent report to ascertain asthma and asthma-related symptoms and spirometry to assess pulmonary function. Steroid-exposed and unexposed groups were compared using Mann-Whitney U tests (continuous variables), chi-square analysis (categorical variables), and logistic regression (multivariate analyses). RESULTS: The steroid-exposed group had greater prevalence of larger airway obstruction (35%v. 21%), and steroid-exposed adolescents with birth weights < 1000 grams had 4.5-fold higher odds of larger airway obstruction. Wheezing in the last 12 months was twice as prevalent in steroid-exposed adolescents with birth weights between 1000–1500 g. CONCLUSION: Antenatal steroid exposure does not provide long-term benefits for pulmonary outcomes in adolescents born prematurely with very low birth weight in the era of surfactant therapy.