Drug for preemies linked to problems.Treating premature infants with a common steroid can prevent chronic lung disease, but possibly at a cost, a new study finds. Scientists in Taiwan randomly assigned 262 premature infants, all on respirators cuirass respirator see under ventilator. Drinker respirator popularly, “iron lung”: an apparatus formerly in wide use for producing artificial respiration over long periods of time, consisting of a metal tank, enclosing the patient's body, with the head outside, and within which artificial respiration is maintained by alternating negative and positive pressure. , to receive periodic infusions of either dexamethasone dexamethasone /dex·a·meth·a·sone/ (dek?sah-meth´ah-son) a synthetic glucocorticoid used primarily as an antiinflammatory in various conditions, including collagen diseases and allergic states; it is the basis of a screening test in the diagnosis of Cushing's syndrome; used also as the acetate or sodium phosphate salt. or saline solutions for 4 weeks. Many premature infants need respirators, but the force of the machines can damage preemie pree·mie or pre·mie (pr  m)n. lungs. A prematurely born infant. Babies treated with dexamethasone had half as much chronic lung disease after the first month of life as did infants getting the saline. Roughly two-fifths of the children in each group died before reaching school age. Follow-up of 146 of the survivors at an average age of 8 years showed that those who had received the steroid tended to be shorter and had smaller head circumferences than did children who had received the inert treatment. Dexamethasone-tended children also had poorer motor coordination, lower IQs, and more disabilities, the researchers report in the March 25 New England Journal of Medicine. Study coauthor Tsu F. Yeh of China Medical University in Taichung Taichung or T'ai-chung (both: tī`j  ng`), city (1994 pop. 853,221), W central Taiwan. Situated in an area where rice, sugarcane, and bananas are grown, Taichung is a distribution and processing center for these crops., Taiwan, says that doctors treating premature infants with dexamethasone should consider substituting hydrocortisone 1. A steroid hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that regulates carbohydrate metabolism and maintains blood pressure. Also called cortisol. 2. A preparation of this hormone obtained from natural sources or produced synthetically and used to treat inflammatory conditions and adrenal failure. |
|
||||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion