[Prevention of neonatal respiratory distress syndrome through the administration of prednisolone in the fetal period].

The clinical effectiveness of antenatal prednisolone medication (prednisolone hemisuccinate) for the prophylaxis of idiopathic respiratory distress syndrome (IRDS) was studied in 114 premature infants with a gestational age between 28 and 36 weeks. There was a statistically significant difference (chi2 - test, p less than 0,01) between the frequency of IRDS in this group and in another one consisting of 137 premature babies with a nearly identical distribution of gestational age, whose mothers did not get prednisolone before delivery. It could be shown that the time interval between medical induction and delivery should not exceed 2 weeks, since the effect decreases with time. At present prednisolone medication during the fetal period may serve as useful prophylactic measure for IRDS in cases of premature birth. As there are a lot of contraindication against prednisolone and as we do know very much about side effects, it seems necessary to seek for other, less dangerous inductors.