A study from Denmark has revealed that using topical corticosteroids whilst pregnant does not appear to impact the size and weight of newborns.
The large cohort study, published in JAMA Dermatology, involved an examination of Danish Medical Birth Registry data that recorded more than 11 million pregnancies between 1997 and 2016. The team of researchers identified more than 60,000 pregnancies that were exposed to corticosteroids and matched them with 260,000 pregnancies that were not exposed.
Small for gestational age (SGA) was observed in 9.4% of the infants not exposed to corticosteroids and in 9.4% of infants who were exposed.
Similarly, low birth weight was identified in 3.6% of unexposed newborns and 3.3% of newborns exposed to corticosteroids.
No increased risk of neither SGA nor low birth weight were associated to exposure of potent topical corticosteroids of any amount.
As well, the team of researchers performed a post hoc analysis comparing patients who had received 200 g or more of topical corticosteroids whilst pregnant to those patients who had received none. No significant differences in outcomes appeared as a result of the comparison.
Dr. Niklas Worm Andersson of Statens Serum Institute, based in Copenhagen, worked on the study and described the study as the largest to examine this particular research question. He asserted that the study’s findings are reassuring, demonstrating that the use of topical corticosteroids during pregnancy do not increase risk to newborns.
