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Premature Infants:
At Rish with a Common "Treatment"

January 12, 2001

There are many risks facing the premature infant, especially those weighing less than 2 pounds.  Of great concern is the high risk of developing chronic lung disease.

In an attempt to prevent this deadly disease, dexamethasone, an anti-inflammatory drug, has been given routinely to these premature babies.

A recent study, conducted by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) has shown that that dexamethasone is actually not effective in preventing chronic lung disease. Furthermore, the drug may lead to some serious complications.

The study was conducted by Dr. Ann R. Stark from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and associates and was published in the January 11^th  issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.   In studying 220 premature infants the researchers found that dexamethasone had no effect on the risk of death or chronic lung disease.

More importantly, the researchers found that this commonly used anti-inflammatory was actually associated with some very serious complications.  These include high blood pressure, high blood sugar requiring insulin injections, spontaneous perforations to intestines and decreased growth.  The risk was determined to be so great that the trial was terminated early.

Based on the outcome of this study, the authors conclude that the use of dexamethasone to prevent chronic lung disease in premature infants is no longer indicated.

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