Effect of systemic hydrocortisone in ventilated preterm infants on parent-reported behavioural outcomes at 2 years' corrected age: follow-up of a randomised clinical trial

Objective To report the parent-reported behavioural outcomes of infants included in the Systemic Hydrocortisone To Prevent Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia in preterm infants study at 2 years' corrected age (CA). Design Randomised placebo-controlled trial. Setting Dutch and Belgian neonatal intensive care units. Patients Infants born <30 weeks' gestation and/or birth weight <1250 g, and ventilator dependent in the second week of life. Intervention Infants were randomly assigned to a 22-day course of systemic hydrocortisone (cumulative dose 72.5 mg/kg; n=182) or placebo (n=190). Main outcome measures Parent-reported behavioural outcomes at 2 years' CA assessed with the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1½-5). Results Parents completed the CBCL of 183 (70% (183/262)) infants (hydrocortisone group, n=96; placebo group, n=87). Multiple imputation was used to account for missing data. Infants with critically elevated T-scores (>55) were found in 22.9%, 19.1% and 29.4% of infants for total, internalising and externalising problems, respectively; these scores were not significantly different between groups (mean difference -1.52 (95% CI -4.00 to 0.96), -2.40 (95% CI -4.99 to 0.20) and -0.81 (95% CI -3.40 to 1.77), respectively). In the subscales, we found a significantly lower T-score for anxiety problems in the hydrocortisone group (mean difference -1.26, 95% CI -2.41 to -0.12). Conclusion This study found high rates of behaviour problems at 2 years' CA following very preterm birth, but these problems were not associated with hydrocortisone treatment initiated between 7 and 14 days after birth in ventilated preterm infants. Trial registration number NTR2768; EudraCT 2010-023777-19.