Prenatal and postnatal steroid therapy and child neurodevelopment

In recent years, scientific evidence has accumulated on the potential neurotoxic effects of perinatal steroid therapy on the incompletely developed brain; therefore, much effort has been directed toward finding the optimal regimen that may reduce lung disease without incurring significant brain injury in fetuses and preterm infants. Current recommendations of the NIH endorse a single course of prenatal steroids in cases of imminent preterm delivery. Postnatal steroid therapy should be limited, according to the American Association of Pediatrics Guidelines, to selected clinical cases after the first week of life. These cautions aim to decrease possible harmful effects that could affect short- and long-term neurodevelopmental outcome in this high-risk population.