Table 13. Treatment effects among the subgroups considered by multiple birth.
| Outcome | Subgroup | Included trials | MgSO4 n/N (%) | Control n/N (%) | RR | LCL | UCL | p† |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Death or CP | Singleton | 9,10,11,12,13 | 429/2,446 (17.5%) | 462/2,472 (18.7%) | 0.94 | 0.83 | 1.05 | 0.55 |
| Multiple | 9,10,11,13 | 90/517 (17.4%) | 109/541 (20.1%) | 0.86 | 0.65 | 1.16 | – | |
| Death (at any time) | Singleton | 9,10,11,12,13 | 347/2,446 (14.2%) | 345/2,472 (14.0%) | 1.01 | 0.88 | 1.16 | 0.88 |
| Multiple | 9,10,11,13 | 66/517 (12.8%) | 70/541 (12.9%) | 0.99 | 0.68 | 1.43 | – | |
| Cerebral palsy | Singleton | 9,10,11,12,13 | 82/1,783 (4.6%) | 117/1,804 (6.5%) | 0.70 | 0.53 | 0.92 | 0.68 |
| Multiple | 9,10,13 | 24/453 (5.3%) | 40/474 (8.4%) | 0.64 | 0.38 | 1.07 | – | |
| Death or major neurosensory disability | Singleton | 9,10,11,12,13 | 674/2,446 (27.6%) | 672/2,472 (27.2%) | 1.02 | 0.93 | 1.11 | 0.30 |
| Multiple | 9,10,13 | 136/496 (27.4%) | 169/526 (32.1%) | 0.91 | 0.73 | 1.14 | – |
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).