Published in

Oxford University Press, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 6(107), p. e2481-e2487, 2022

DOI: 10.1210/clinem/dgac081

Links

Tools

Export citation

Search in Google Scholar

Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring in Children and Adults Prenatally Exposed to Dexamethasone Treatment

This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.
This paper was not found in any repository, but could be made available legally by the author.

Full text: Unavailable

Green circle
Preprint: archiving allowed
Orange circle
Postprint: archiving restricted
Orange circle
Published version: archiving restricted
Data provided by SHERPA/RoMEO

Abstract

Abstract Context The clinical use of dexamethasone (DEX) prenatally to reduce virilization of external genitalia in female fetuses with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) is efficient but still controversial. It remains challenging to prevent the excessive exposure of DEX in unborn healthy babies during the first trimester of pregnancy. Objective Since endogenous glucocorticoids contribute to the maintenance of blood pressure (BP) and since events during fetal life may program the fetus and affect future metabolic health, the aim of this study was to analyze ambulatory BP measurements in CAH-unaffected children and adults that were prenatally exposed to DEX treatment. Methods Ambulatory BP measurements were analyzed in 33 (16 female) DEX-treated participants aged 5.1 to 26.3 years (19 participants aged ≤ 18 years) and in 54 (28 female) age- and sex-matched apparently healthy controls aged 5.5 to 25.3 years (27 participants aged ≤ 18 years) with ambulatory normotension. Results Participants’ age, height, weight, and body mass index were similar between the DEX-treated group and the control group. Heart rate, 24-hour BP, pulse pressure, and nighttime dipping did not statistically significantly differ between DEX-treated participants and controls. Conclusion Our study suggests that prenatal DEX treatment in CAH-unaffected children and adults does not appear to adversely affect ambulatory BP later in life. Our observations need to be confirmed in larger studies.