EFFECT OF ANTENATAL CORTICOSTEROIDS ON MATERNAL BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS

Objective: To study the effect of antenatal corticosteroids on maternal blood glucose levels.Methodology: This observational study was conducted in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Hayatabad Medical Complex, Peshawar, after obtaining ethical approval from the Institutional Ethical Review Board. All patients admitted to the labor suite for antenatal corticosteroids were included in the study, while patients with diabetes or any other medical disorder requiring corticosteroids were excluded. Patients were selected using a non-probability convenient sampling technique. They were given two doses of Betamethasone (12mg) intramuscularly, with a 24-hour interval between doses. Maternal blood sugar levels were checked before administering the first dose of Betamethasone. Subsequently, patients were placed on a sugar profile for five days. All the data were entered in a pre-designed proforma. Results: A total of 247 patients were included in the study. The majority of the patients were multigravida (50.20%) and belonged to the age group of 21-30 (50.20%). The mean age of the patients was 26.4 ± 2.3 years. The majority of the patients (72.46%) had deranged blood sugar levels, either falling within the range of impaired glucose levels or full-blown diabetes. Antenatal corticosteroids mainly affected fasting blood sugar (FBS) and post-prandial blood sugar levels.Conclusion: Antenatal corticosteroids administered to normoglycemic patients result in significant but transient hyperglycemia. However, in the majority of patients, blood sugar levels normalize within five days following the administration of corticosteroid doses.