Aim: To determine if exposure to antenatal steroids (ANS) is associated with adverse effects on growth, cognition, or lung function in children of birthweight < 1501 g at 14 years of age.

Methods: The subjects were 154 consecutive survivors born in the Royal Women's Hospital from 10/1/80 to 3/31/82. The mothers of 78 (51%) survivors received ANS to accelerate fetal lung maturation. No mother received more than one course of ANS. The children were assessed at 14 years of age, corrected for prematurity. Growth measurements were converted to SD scores (SDs) for age and gender. Cognition was assessed by the Wechsler Scales (WISC-III).

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