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Brian Vastag

JAMA. 2001;285:874.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

Early postnatal doses of dexamethasone, commonly prescribed to reduce risk of chronic lung disease in premature infants, does not reduce risk of the disease but does increase risk of intestinal perforation, according to the largest study of its kind, funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Earlier studies suggested that dexamethasone given 24 to 48 hours after birth reduced risk of chronic lung disease. However, infants in these studies were typically given large dosages of the drug, which interfered with their growth and increased their blood glucose levels and blood pressure.

"We began the trial with the hope that we could lower the dose of dexamethasone and reduce the risk of these side effects," said study coauthor and NICHD researcher Linda Wright, MD.

In all, the researchers enrolled 220 infants from 13 centers. Approximately half were treated with dexamethasone and half with placebo. . . . [Full Text of this Article]

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