Main Findings
Both corticosteroids have proven effective for women at risk of preterm
birth on most neonatal and child relevant outcomes compared with placebo
or no treatment.
We found that compared with betamethasone,
dexamethasone may reduce the rates
of chorioamnionitis around 30% and foetal death 20%, but may increase
puerperal sepsis 100% and respiratory distress syndrome 40%. Probably,
there are no difference in neonatal death and neurodevelopmental
disability and may have no difference in IVH and in birthweight. Except
for neurodevelopmental disability, and birthweight these effects were
imprecise.