Maternal and neonatal glycaemic control after antenatal corticosteroid administration in women with diabetes in pregnancy: A retrospective cohort study

Objective: To describe maternal and neonatal glycaemic control following antenatal corticosteroid administration to women with diabetes in pregnancy. Design: Retrospective cohort study Setting: A tertiary hospital in Auckland, New Zealand Population: Women with diabetes in pregnancy who received antenatal corticosteroids from 2006–2016. Methods: Corticosteroid administration, maternal and neonatal glycaemia data were retrieved from electronic patient records. Demographic data were downloaded from the hospital database. Relationships between variables were analysed using multivariate analysis. Main outcome measures: Maternal hyperglycaemia and neonatal hypoglycaemia Results: Corticosteroids were administered to 647 of 7317 of women with diabetes (8.8%) who gave birth to 715 babies. After an initial course of corticosteroids, 92% and 52% of women had blood glucose concentrations > 7 and > 10 mmol/L respectively. Median peak blood glucose concentration of approximately 10 mmol/L occurred 9 hours after corticosteroid administration and hyperglycaemia lasted approximately 72 hours. Thirty percent of women gave birth within 72 hours of the last dose of corticosteroids. Babies of women who were hyperglycaemic within 24 hours of birth were more likely to develop hypoglycaemia (