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Am J Perinatol 2020; 37(08): 809-812
DOI: 10.1055/s-0040-1709684
Clinical Opinion
Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Corticosteroid Guidance for Pregnancy during COVID-19 Pandemic

Jennifer Jury McIntosh
1   Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
› Author Affiliations Funding Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number K08HL150340 (J.J.M.). The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.
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Publication History

28 March 2020

30 March 2020

Publication Date:
09 April 2020 (online)

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Abstract

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is causing a necessary, rapid adjustment within the field of obstetrics. Corticosteroid use is a mainstay of therapy for those women delivering prematurely. Unfortunately, corticosteroid use has been associated with worse outcomes in COVID-19 positive patients. Given this information, it is necessary that obstetricians adjust practice to carefully weigh the fetal benefits with maternal risks. Therefore, our institution has examined the risks and benefits and altered our corticosteroid recommendations.

Key Points

  • Corticosteroid use is an important part of prematurity treatment because it provides benefit to the fetus.

  • Corticosteroid use may be related with increased morbidity and mortality in novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

  • Therefore, during the COVID-19 pandemic, an alteration in current corticosteroid practices is necessary to uniquely weigh the maternal risks and fetal benefits.

Keywords

COVID-19 - corticosteroids - prematurity - betamethasone - dexamethasone
 

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