Abstract
Objectives:
to identify predictive factors of respiratory distress syndrome (RDS) in severe preeclampsia.
Methods:
a cross-sectional study was conducted based on the secondary analysis of a clinical trial about the use of corticosteroids to prevent RDS in severe preeclampsia. Newborn. infants with (n=66) and without RDS (n=134) were compared.
Results:
only fetal distress and very low birth weight were associated with increased risk of RDS, white corticosteroid therapy was significantly protective after multiple regression analysis.
Conclusions:
when deciding whether to interrup t a pregnancy in cases ofserious preeclampsia the risk of excessive prematurity has to be weighed up against the patient's exposure to fetal distress, and corticosteroid therapy should always be recommended.
Key words
Respiratory distress syndrome; Preeclampsia; Infant; newborn; Risks factors