Steroid use in premature babies linked to ADHD

Conclusion This research is exploratory and on its own does not prove that pregnancy exposure to corticosteroids causes ADHD. The research does have strengths in that it matched exposed and non-exposed children on the basis of sex and gestational age. Matching for gestational age and prematurity in particular is important – prematurity is associated with pre-birth corticosteroid use, as well as an increased risk of adverse effects upon brain development and mental health. This could therefore confound the relationship. The researchers further adjusted for various possible socioeconomic, medical and pregnancy-related factors. They also benefit from the use of validated scales to assess child mental health outcomes, as well as a large birth cohort. However, despite the large birth cohort, which included almost 9,000 babies, only 37 were exposed to corticosteroids. It is not known for certain why the mothers were given corticosteroids. It is most likely this was in expectation of premature birth, but the researchers excluded babies who were given steroids within four days of their birth, as they thought that this wouldn't have an effect on the baby's brain. These children were also all born in one region of Finland during 1986. Therefore, how applicable the results are to pregnant women given corticosteroids prior to premature birth today is unclear. With a small sample of 37 children, it is possible that the results could be because of chance associations that would n...
Source: NHS News Feed - Category: Consumer Health News Tags: Medication Pregnancy/child Mental health Neurology Source Type: news