Table 12. Treatment effects among the subgroups considered by the purpose of the treatment.
| Outcome | Subgroup | Included trials | MgSO4 | Control | RR | LCL | UCL | p† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death or CP | Neuroprotection fetus | 9,10,11,13 | 332/2,198 (15.1%) | 392/2,250 (17.4%) | 0.86 | 0.75 | 0.99 | 0.04 |
| Other | 11,12 | 210/848 (24.8%) | 185/835 (22.2%) | 1.08 | 0.91 | 1.29 | ||
| Death (at any time) | Neuroprotection fetus | 9,10,11,13 | 228/2,198 (10.4%) | 244/2,250 (10.8%) | 0.95 | 0.80 | 1.13 | 0.19 |
| Other | 11,12 | 208/848 (24.5%) | 177/835 (21.2%) | 1.12 | 0.93 | 1.33 | ||
| Cerebral palsy | Neuroprotection fetus | 9,10,11,13 | 104/2,002 (5.2%) | 149/2,032 (7.3%) | 0.70 | 0.55 | 0.90 | 0.22 |
| Other | 11,12 | 2/273 (0.7%) | 8/294 (2.7%) | 0.27 | 0.06 | 1.24 | ||
| Death or major neurosensory disability | Neuroprotection fetus | 9,10,11,13 | 622/2,198 (28.3%) | 659/2,250 (29.3%) | 0.99 | 0.90 | 1.09 | 0.29 |
| Other | 11,12 | 217/848 (25.6%) | 189/835 (22.6%) | 1.10 | 0.92 | 1.30 |
Abbreviations: CP, cerebral palsy; LCL, lower confidence limit; RR, relative risk; UCL, upper confidence limit. The trials included are as follows: 9 = Australasian Collaborative Trial of Magnesium Sulphate (ACTOMgSO4), 10 = PREterm brain protection by MAGnesium sulphate (PREMAG), 11 = Magnesium and Neurologic Endpoints Trial (MAGNET), 12 = MAGnesium sulphate for Prevention of Eclampsia (MAGPIE), and 13 = Beneficial Effects of Antenatal Magnesium Sulfate (BEAM).
†p-values for heterogeneity (the heterogeneity p-value for 1-stage analyses is from Wald chi-square tests for the interaction between treatment and subgroup in a generalising estimating equation [GEE] model).