Abstract
BACKGROUND: Antenatal magnesium sulphate (MgSO(4)) therapy given to women at risk of preterm birth reduced the risk of cerebral palsy in early childhood. However, its effect on longer-term neurological outcomes remains uncertain. This study aimed to assess the effects of antenatal MgSO(4) therapy on school-age outcomes of preterm infants. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis. We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and CINAHL for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility for inclusion and extracted data. RESULTS: Ten RCTs were included. Only two of them were on school-age outcomes. Antenatal MgSO(4) therapy had no impact on cerebral palsy, hearing impairment, neurosensory disability, and death at school-age. Meta-analysis on mental retardation and visual impairment was not able to be performed due to different methods of evaluation. In the analysis of short-term outcomes conducted as secondary outcomes, antenatal MgSO(4) therapy increased the risk of maternal adverse events with any symptom (3 RCTs; risk ratio 2.79; 95% confidence interval 1.10 to 7.05, low certainty of evidence) but was not associated with any neonatal symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The number of cases was insufficient to determine the impact of antenatal MgSO(4) therapy on school-age outcomes. Further accumulation of long-term data is required.