ICS Therapy Prescribed at NICU Discharge
Infants discharged from the NICU on ICS therapy (n=61) were born earlier
(25.5 ± 1.9 versus 26.3 ± 2.4 weeks gestation; p <0.01)
and weighed less at birth (761 ± 263 versus 896 ± 383 grams;p <0.008) than their counterparts who were not
discharged on ICS therapy (n=600) (Table 1 ). Although ICS
therapy at NICU discharge was not associated with BPD severity
(p =0.07) or pulmonary hypertension (p =0.08), infants on
ICS therapy at discharge were more likely to be discharged on
supplemental oxygen (78.7% versus 48.1%; p<0.001) and to
have experienced a longer NICU length of stay (184 ± 88 versus 133 ± 68
days; p<0.001) compared to their counterparts. Interestingly,
infants with a positive family history of asthma were less likely to be
prescribed ICS at NICU discharge than those who were not (36.7%
compared to 51.4%; p<0.029). These findings indicate that BPD
infants prescribed ICSs at NICU discharge likely represent a distinct
clinical BPD phenotype, compared to those who were not prescribed an ICS
at NICU discharge.