Healthy child development is under the influence of prenatal and perinatal exposure to stress stimuli. The aim of this study is to test the hypotheses that (1) neonates requiring catecholamine blood pressure support are more often born to mothers with stress-related cardiometabolic diseases, (2) maternal stress-related diseases are associated with more frequent requirement of maternal corticosteroid treatment and (3) antenatal steroid exposure of neonates reduces the need of postnatal catecholamine support. A retrospective cohort study was performed on a sample of 427 mature (13%), preterm (64%) and extremely preterm (23%) neonates of both sexes. Mothers at risk of preterm delivery were treated with dexamethasone. The blood pressure support in neonates was performed by intravenous treatment via umbilical or epicutaneous venous catheter with dopamine (5 ug/kg/min) or dobutamine (5 ug/kg/min) or a combination of both. The results showed a lack of association between maternal stress-related diseases and the complicated outcome of their neonates. Maternal treatment with corticosteroid dexamethasone was associated with lower frequency of catecholamine blood pressure support requirement. Catecholamine support was more needed in male infants. Thus, the occurrence of maternal cardiometabolic stress-related diseases does not appear to be related to the need of catecholamine support in the neonate. In agreement with the second hypothesis, a more frequent maternal corticosteroid treatment was associated with the presence of maternal stress-related diseases. Most importantly, the obtained results support the hypothesis on positive influence of maternal glucocorticoid administration on cardiovascular outcome of the neonate, representing an additional beneficial effect of antenatal corticosteroids. LAY SUMMARY Maternal hypertension, diabetes and obesity, which belong to cardiometabolic stress-related diseases, failed to show a negative influence on neonatal health as was determined by the need of catecholamine blood pressure support in a large sample of 427 immature and mature newborns. Since glucocorticoids are often viewed as negative agents that should be avoided, the important finding of the present study is the beneficial effect of maternal corticosteroid treatment on blood pressure stability of the neonate.
Keywords: Stress hormones; antenatal corticosteroids; maternal hypertension; neonate hypotension; sex.