Steroid Injection for Preterm Babies may Increase Mental Health Risk

Babies born before the 37^th week are at a significant increase for various health complications. These pre-term infants may not have fully developed organs and may require extra care and time in the hospital until they are strong enough to function by themselves.

Yet a recent study looks at how many pre-term babies are given an infusion of glucocorticoids before birth that may help their lungs develop faster, yet consequently, could increase their risk for mental illness, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

"There are a lot of studies that have found links between stress in pregnancy and effects on children's mental health, especially ADHD, and this might be related to cortisol," senior author Alina Rodriguez said, a visiting professor at the School of Public Health at Imperial College London. "Synthetic glucocorticoids mimic the biological reaction when the mother is stressed, so we wanted to see if babies who were exposed to this treatment are affected similarly in terms of mental health outcomes."

Researchers from Imperial College London and Finland's University of Oulu compared 37 children who had received infusions of glucocorticoids while still in the womb before the birth of 185 children that did not receive it. The team also reviewed data on 6079 children. The data came from the Northern Finland Birth Cohort, which recruited women in 1985 to 1986.

Researchers found that children who had the treatment tended to have lower test scores than those who did not. These tests were conducted when the children were eight-years-old and then again after a 16-year-period. These children were also more likely to have symptoms tied to ADHD.

More information regarding the study can be found via the journal PLOS ONE.