What are some of the effects of antenatal steroids on the mother?
White blood cell (WBC) count
- A rise in WBC count may occur as early as 2 hours after the first dose.
- The mean WBC increases by about 30% within 24 hours.
- WBC count generally returns to baseline by 3 days after the first betamethasone or dexamethasone injection.
Maternal glucose levels
- Hyperglycemia may occur as early as 3–8 hours after steroid administration.
- Glucose values normalize within 24 hours after the second dose in nondiabetic patients.
- In diabetic patients, elevated glucose may persist for up to 5 days after the first dose.
HELLP syndrome physiologic effects
- Transient improvement in blood pressure control
- Increased urine output
- Decreased AST
- Increased platelet count
These effects appear more pronounced with dexamethasone compared with betamethasone in patients with HELLP syndrome.
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