Hypercholesterolemia in the Newborn: Occurrence After Antepartum Treatment With Betamethasone Phenobarbital-Ritodrine for the Prevention of the Respiratory Distress Syndrome

Abstract

Cord serum lipid and lipoprotein values were measured in 117 normal full-term newborns, in 42 full-term newborns who had received antepartum phenobarbital therapy and in 19 full-term newborns who had received antepartum betamethasone-phenobarbital-ritodrine therapy. The values were the same in untreated and phenobarbital treated newborns, whereas a marked hypercholesterolemia with an increase primarily in very-low-density lipoprotein/low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was found in betamethasone-phenobarbital-ritodrine-treated newborns, compared with untreated infants. Furthermore, cord serum lipid and lipoprotein values were compared in 15 untreated and 10 betamethasone- phenobarbital-ritodrine-treated premature newborns. Again, hypercholesterolemia was seen in the treated newborns with an increase primarily in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. No difference was found in the cord serum lipid and lipoprotein levels of 31 untreated and 11 betamethasone-phenobarbital-ritodrine-treated small-for-gestational-age infants. The hypercholesterolemia seen in appropriate-for-gestational-age infants after this triple drug treatment is probably caused by betamethasone. This is a cause of hypercholesterolemia in the newborn that has not been described earlier.