Comparison 5. Complications during primary hospitalisation.

Outcome or subgroup title	No. of studies	No. of participants	Statistical method	Effect size
1 Infection	25	4101	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.05 [0.96, 1.15]
1.1 Dexamethasone	18	2821	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.02 [0.91, 1.15]
1.2 Hydrocortisone	7	1280	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.08 [0.94, 1.25]
2 Hyperglycaemia	13	2167	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.33 [1.20, 1.47]
2.1 Dexamethasone	12	2117	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.35 [1.21, 1.49]
2.2 Hydrocortisone	1	50	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.92 [0.50, 1.67]
3 Hypertension	11	1993	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.85 [1.54, 2.22]
3.1 Dexamethasone	10	1943	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.84 [1.53, 2.21]
3.2 Hydrocortisone	1	50	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	3.0 [0.33, 26.92]
4 Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy	1	50	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	4.33 [1.40, 13.37]
5 Growth failure	1	50	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	6.67 [2.27, 19.62]
6 Pulmonary air leak	16	3225	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.91 [0.74, 1.13]
6.1 Dexamethasone	12	2041	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.85 [0.66, 1.08]
6.2 Hydrocortisone	4	1184	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.11 [0.75, 1.65]
7 Patent ductus arteriosus (PDA)	24	4013	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.78 [0.72, 0.85]
7.1 Dexamethasone	17	2706	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.76 [0.69, 0.84]
7.2 Hydrocortisone	7	1307	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.82 [0.71, 0.95]
8 Severe IVH	26	4103	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.96 [0.83, 1.11]
8.1 Dexamethasone	17	2736	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.96 [0.81, 1.14]
8.2 Hydrocortisone	9	1367	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.95 [0.74, 1.23]
9 Severe intraventricular haemorrhage (IVH) in infants examined	7	1909	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.90 [0.74, 1.11]
10 Periventricular leukomalacia (PVL)	15	2807	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.07 [0.78, 1.46]
10.1 Dexamethasone	8	1514	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.23 [0.84, 1.81]
10.2 Hydrocortisone	7	1293	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.81 [0.46, 1.40]
11 PVL in infants with cranial ultrasound scans	7	1841	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.13 [0.79, 1.60]
12 PVL in survivors seen at follow‐up	2	183	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.22 [0.60, 2.48]
13 Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC)	25	4050	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.90 [0.74, 1.11]
13.1 Dexamethasone	15	2661	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.88 [0.69, 1.13]
13.2 Hydrocortisone	10	1389	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.95 [0.66, 1.37]
14 Gastrointestinal bleeding	12	1816	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.86 [1.35, 2.55]
14.1 Dexamethasone	10	1725	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.87 [1.35, 2.58]
14.2 Hydrocortisone	2	91	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.53 [0.27, 8.74]
15 Gastrointestinal perforation	16	3040	Risk Difference (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.03 [0.02, 0.05]
15.1 Dexamethasone	9	1936	Risk Difference (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.03 [0.01, 0.05]
15.2 Hydrocortisone	7	1104	Risk Difference (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.03 [0.00, 0.06]
16 Pulmonary haemorrhage	10	1820	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.16 [0.87, 1.54]
16.1 Dexamethasone	7	686	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.97 [0.65, 1.45]
16.2 Hydrocortisone	3	1134	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	1.36 [0.92, 2.03]
17 Any retinopathy of prematurity (ROP)	9	1345	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.88 [0.80, 0.97]
17.1 Dexamethasone	8	1042	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.84 [0.72, 0.99]
17.2 Hydrocortisone	1	303	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.93 [0.84, 1.04]
18 Severe ROP	14	2577	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.81 [0.66, 0.98]
18.1 Dexamethasone	8	1507	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.77 [0.60, 0.99]
18.2 Hydrocortisone	6	1070	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.87 [0.63, 1.21]
19 Severe ROP in survivors	12	1575	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.77 [0.64, 0.94]
19.1 Dexamethasone	10	1238	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.75 [0.59, 0.95]
19.2 Hydrocortisone	2	337	Risk Ratio (M‐H, Fixed, 95% CI)	0.83 [0.60, 1.17]