Telethon and Women and Infants Research Foundation help premature babies with lung diseases

An innovative research program could help save “millions” of premature babies from deadly lung diseases.

Pre-term babies — those born before 37 weeks — often struggle to breathe on their own. The lungs are one of the last organs that develop in utero, completing development between weeks 34 and 37.

This means pre-term premature babies are at high risk of deadly respiratory infections.

For years, doctors have dosed pregnant women with steroids to help rapidly mature the lungs of in utero babies develop. These steroids act as synthetic forms of natural human hormones, and supercharge the unborn baby’s development.

But if the wrong dosage is delivered, they can have deadly side effects, reducing foetal body weight.

An innovative study — supported by Telethon — has brought scientists one step closer to working out the “optimum” drug dosage to help babies thrive.

Researchers from the Perth-based Women and Infants Research Foundation joined American and Japanese scientists to test the antenatal drugs on sheep.

Their groundbreaking research revealed that an often used steroid — betamethasone phosphate — had “adverse effects”, leading to lower birth weights and higher treatment variability.

WIRF deputy director Matt Kemp said the findings represented a “clear pathway” to optimising health outcomes in cases where preterm birth was inevitable.

“This study significantly expands on our work in understanding how foetal steroid exposure can change the durability of preterm lung maturation,” Professor Kemp, pictured, said.

“Given the strong link between excess foetal steroid exposure and lower birth weights, the global use of this drug, and other potentially adverse effects, these results are set to play a major role in improving immediate and longer-term health outcomes for preterm infants.”

The study — published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynaecology — was set to benefit “millions of families”, WIRF said in a statement.

If treatment isn’t just right, vulnerable babies are at risk of underdevelopment.

Neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome — a condition caused by underdeveloped lungs — can cause severe and lifelong problems such as cerebral palsy, developmental delay, or blindness. NRDS is the major cause of death among premature infants.

By working out the ideal dose, scientists can minimise the chances of serious harm, ensuring more babies return safely from hospital.

Globally, about 15 million babies are born preterm every year.

Tragically, the World Health Organisation estimates about 1.1 million of these babies die.

In WA, about one in 12 pregnancies ends preterm — accounting for around 3000 babies every year.