Early low-dose hydrocortisone is associated with a reduced risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia in infants born at less than 26 weeks' gestational age

TL;DR

Early low-dose hydrocortisone treatment in extremely preterm infants is linked to a lower risk of developing severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.

Contribution

This study shows that early low-dose hydrocortisone reduces the risk of severe BPD in infants born before 26 weeks.

Findings

Infants receiving early low-dose hydrocortisone had significantly lower Grade II+ BPD incidence (p = 0.024).

Early hydrocortisone was associated with shorter non-invasive ventilation days (p = 0.038).

Hydrocortisone treatment independently reduced the risk of Grade II+ BPD (OR: 0.287).

Abstract

To determine whether administering low-dose hydrocortisone early in treatment reduces the risk of bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in infants born before 26 weeks of gestation

This retrospective case-control study compared the incidence of Grade II+ BPD between infants who received hydrocortisone treatment and those who did not. Propensity score matching was used to ensure comparability between the groups, with a 1:1 match ratio based on gestational age and birth weight.

A total of 66 infants were included in the study. Those who received early low-dose hydrocortisone demonstrated a significantly lower risk of Grade II+ BPD incidence (p = 0.024). Additionally, early administration of low-dose hydrocortisone was associated with a shorter duration of non-invasive ventilation days (p = 0.038). Multiple logistic regression analysis confirmed that hydrocortisone treatment was independently associated with a reduced risk of Grade II + BPD incidence (OR: 0.287, 95% CI: 0.084–0.980).

These findings suggest that early administration of low-dose hydrocortisone is associated with a reduced risk of Grade II+ BPD in extremely preterm infants born before 26 weeks of gestation.

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