Maternal ethnicity influences on neonatal respiratory outcomes after antenatal corticosteroid use for anticipated preterm delivery

Objective. To explore the influence of maternal ethnicity on neonatal outcomes after antenatal corticosteroid administration. Methods. retrospective review of ethnicity, maternal factors, and neonatal birth outcomes was performed for preterm births at a single institution. Cases were limited to women who received antenatal corticosteroids. The impact of ethnicity on specific neonatal respiratory outcomes and mortality was analyzed by bivariate comparisons and by logistic regression analysis. Results. Complete ethnicity data were obtained for 548 women. Controlling for gestational age at delivery, diabetes, whether the subject completed a course of steroids, and the dosing of the steroids, logistic regression demonstrated that ethnicity was independently associated with respiratory distress syndrome (compared to Caucasians: African-Americans OR 0.49 (95%% CI 0.29--0.85); Filipinos OR 0.45 (95%% CI 0.21--0.96). Conclusions. Ethnicity is independently associated with neonatal respiratory outcomes after antenatal corticosteroid use. Perhaps individualized dosing of antenatal corticosteroids is needed to further improve neonatal outcomes.