Management of Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in InfantsGuidelines for Corticosteroid Use

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in preterm neonates and at present its management is unclear. Over the past three decades there has been a growing use of corticosteroids in the postnatal period; first for the treatment and then, more recently, for the prevention of BPD. The first published use of corticosteroids to treat neonatal lung disease was in 1956; however, it was only in the 1980s and 1990s that their use in neonates became commonplace. Concerns about their long-term neurodevelopmental consequences arose in the late 1990s when follow-up of randomised controlled trials indicated an increased risk of cerebral palsy after postnatal dexamethasone exposure.