Blood glucose levels in pregnant non-diabetic women during treatment with betamethasone for fetal lung maturation

Background: At premature birth, one of the main problems is immature lungs in the newborn. In case of threatening preterm delivery, treatment with betamethasone is recommended to stimulate formation of surfactant and accelerate fetal lung maturation. In pregnancies with diabetes, administration of betamethasone often leads to significant hyperglycemia, which is known to inhibit the formation of surfactant, and if the women deliver while glucose is still high there is risk of neonatal hypoglycemia. Only few studies have examined blood glucose changes in non-diabetic pregnant women treated with betamethasone.
Aim: To examine and describe the pattern of changes in maternal blood glucose in non-diabetic women threated with betamethasone for fetal lung maturation.