Israel Medical Association Journal

Background: The administration of antenatal corticosteroids (ACS) is standard practice for management of threatened preterm birth. Its benefit, especially in small for gestational age (SGA) late preterm, is unclear.

Objectives: To evaluate the impact of ACS on perinatal outcome of late preterm SGA neonates.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all women carrying a singleton gestation who had late preterm delivery (34–36 gestational weeks) of SGA neonates at a single tertiary university-affiliated medical center (July 2012–December 2017). Exclusion criteria included termination of pregnancy, intrauterine fetal death, and birth weight ≥ 10th percentile. Outcomes were compared between ACS and non-ACS treatment prior to delivery. Neonatal composite outcome included neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, respiratory distress syndrome, mechanical ventilation, and transient tachypnea.

Results: Overall, 228 women met inclusion criteria; 102 (44.7%) received ACS and 126 did not (55.3%). Median birth weight among the non-ACS group was significantly higher (1896.0 vs. 1755.5 grams P < 0.001). Rates of NICU and jaundice requiring phototherapy were higher among the ACS group (53.92% vs. 31.74%, P = 0.01; 12.74% vs. 5.55%, P = 0.05, respectively). Composite neonatal outcome was significantly higher among the ACS group (53.92% vs. 32.53%, odds ratio [OR] 2.42, 95% confidence interval [95%CI] 1.41–4.15, P = 0.01). After adjustment for potential confounders, this association remained significant (OR 2.15, 95%CI 1.23–3.78, P = 0.007).

Conclusions: ACS given during pregnancy did not improve respiratory outcome for SGA late preterm neonates. ACS may be associated with a worse outcome.

Background: Two types of growth curves are commonly used to diagnose fetal growth disorders: neonatal birth weight (BW) and sonographic estimated fetal weight (EFW). The debate as to which growth curve to use is universal.

Objectives: To establish sonographic EFW growth curves for the Israeli population and to assess whether the use of the BW growth curves currently adapted in Israel leads to under-diagnosis of intrauterine growth disorders.

Methods: Biometric data collected during a 6 year period was analyzed to establish sonographic EFW growth curves between 15–42 weeks of gestation for the Israeli population. Growth curves were compared to previously published sonographic EFW growth curves. A comparison with the Israeli BW growth curves was performed to assess the possibility of under-diagnosis of intrauterine growth disorders.

Results: Out of 42,778 sonographic EFW studies, 31,559 met the inclusion criteria. The sonographic EFW growth curves from the current study resembled the EFW curves previously published. The comparison of the current sonographic EFW and BW growth curves revealed under-diagnosis of intrauterine growth disorders during the preterm period. Four percent of the fetuses assessed between 26–34 weeks would have been suspected of being growth restricted; 2.8 percent of the fetuses assessed between 30–36 weeks would have been suspected of having macrosomia, based on the BW growth curves.

Conclusions: New Israeli sonographic EFW growth curves resemble previously published sonographic EFW curves. Using BW growth curves may lead to the under-diagnosis of growth disorders. We recommend adopting sonographic EFW growth to diagnose intrauterine growth disorders.

Background: Takayasu arteritis (TA) is a rare chronic granulomatous inflammatory disease of the aorta and/or its major branches and more frequently affects female patients before menopause. Since persistent inflammation may lead to arterial ischemia, hypertension is an important complication of TA. Objectives: To evaluate gestational results and complications in patients with TA arteritis.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the medical records of patients with TA admitted to the high risk pregnancy clinic for women with systemic autoimmune diseases at Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto.

Results: From 1998 to 2011 we followed 11 pregnancies in 9 patients with TA; the patients’ age ranged from 17 to 42 years and disease duration from 2 to 28 years. In 7 of the 11 pregnancies, uncontrolled blood pressure occurred before labor and preeclampsia was diagnosed in one. Two deliveries were preterm, one newborn was treated for sepsis and four (36%) had intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR).

Conclusions: Close monitoring improves the perinatal outcomes in patients with TA who are more prone to develop hypertension, preeclampsia and IUGR. Disease activity was not observed in our group of patients during pregnancy. Coordinated care between the obstetric, rheumatologic and cardiologic teams is the ideal setting to follow pregnant women with TA.

Background: Epidemiological studies have found that intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR) is closely related to hypertension and is associated with a reduced number of nephrons that may be a predisposing factor for the development of hypertension.

Objectives: To determine whether blood pressure levels of children with a history of IUGR are higher than those of children without IUGR.

Methods: Diastolic, systolic and mean arterial blood pressure levels were measured in 64 children aged 8–12 years old with a history of IUGR (mean birth weight 1780 ± 422 g) and compared with 64 age and gender-matched controls who had a normal birth weight (mean 3134 ±  594 g).

Results: Contrary to previous reports, systolic blood pressure values were significantly lower in the IUGR group compared to the controls (91.6 ±11.3 vs. 96.6 ±13.9, P = 0.027). There was no difference in diastolic blood pressure values. In the IUGR group, systolic blood pressure correlated significantly with current weight (P < 0.01) and body mass index (P < 0.05), and diastolic blood pressure with weight gain between age 2 and 4 years (P < 0.05). None of the blood pressure values correlated with birth weight.

Conclusions: Children born with IUGR have lower systolic blood pressure levels than matched controls at age 8–12 years. These data indicate that postnatal weight gain in this group has a greater impact on systolic blood pressure than birth weight.
 

Background: Low birth weight has been shown to be strongly related to hypertension in adult life.

Objective: To determine whether blood pressure is higher in children with intruterine growth retardation than in control subjects.

Methods: Blood pressure was measured in 58 children aged 4-6 years with IUGR and in 58 age-matched controls. The control children, whose birth weight was appropriate for gestational age, were also matched for gestational age.

Results: The children with IUGR had significantly higher mean values of systolic (p<0.05) and diastolic blood pressures (p<0.05) and mean arterial pressure (p<0.05). Significant differences in blood pressure values were found between preterm IUGR (n=21) and preterm controls (p<0.05).

Conclusion: These data indicate that children with IUGR may be at higher risk of hypertension already in childhood.