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Steroids boost survival, reduce brain injury for premature infants – 2
Narrator: This is NIH Health Matters. I’m Joe Balintfy. According to a recent study, prenatal steroids, which are steroids given to pregnant women at risk for giving birth prematurely, appear to improve survival and limit brain injury among infants born as early at the 23rd week of pregnancy. Dr. Rosemary Higgins is a neonatologist at the NIH.
Higgins: Prior studies have showed that steroids improved the baby's lung maturation.
Narrator: Increased lung development improves the chances for survival and may decrease the risk of brain injury. Current guidelines recommend giving prenatal steroids to women at risk of delivering between the 24th and 34th weeks of pregnancy. For more information, visit www.nichd.nih.gov. Health Matters is produced by the NIH, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
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