Table 2.
Characteristics of mothers and babies in the MagNUM Study.
| Characteristics | Magnesium sulphate | Placebo | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mothers | n = 52 | n = 45 | |
| Age (years) | 32•1 (5•3) | 30•9 (7•1) | 0•36 |
| Nulliparous | 28 (53•8) | 27 (60•0) | 0•54 |
| Ethnicity | 0•43 | ||
| . Caucasian | 24 (46•2) | 17 (37•8) | |
| . Asian | 12 (23•1) | 7 (15•6) | |
| . Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander | 1 (1•9) | 0 (0•0) | |
| . Polynesian | 3 (5•8) | 2 (4•4) | |
| . Māori | 5 (9•6) | 7 (15•6) | |
| . Other | 7 (13•5) | 12 (26•7) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 26•9 (7•2) | 26•4 (5•2) | 0•70 |
| Gestation at trial entry (weeks) | 31•9 (1•0) | 31•9 (1•2) | 0•70 |
| Main reason at risk of preterm birth: | |||
| . Antepartum haemorrhage | 6 (11•5) | 5 (11•1) | 0•95 |
| . Preterm prelabour rupture of membranes | 16 (30•8) | 16 (35•6) | 0•62 |
| . Preterm labour | 24 (46•2) | 19 (42•2) | 0•70 |
| . Pre-eclampsia | 9 (17•3) | 8 (17•8) | 0•95 |
| . Fetal compromise | 11 (21•2) | 5 (11•1) | 0•18 |
| . Other | 11 (21•2) | 10 (22•2) | 0•90 |
| Received treatment allocated | 51 (98•1) | 44 (97•8) | 0•92 |
| Babies | n = 60 | n = 49 | |
| Gestation at birth (weeks) | 31•9 (0•9) | 32•2 (1•6) | 0•28 |
| Twins | 0•53 | ||
| . Singleton | 41 (68•3) | 38 (77•6) | |
| . Twin 1 | 10 (16•7) | 5 (10•2) | |
| . Twin 2 | 9 (15•0) | 6 (12•2) | |
| MRI site | 0•15 | ||
| . Auckland | 33 (55•0) | 33 (67•3) | |
| . Christchurch | 16 (26•7) | 13 (26•5) | |
| . Adelaide | 11 (18•3) | 3 (6•1) | |
| Post-menstrual age at MRI (weeks) | 40•1 (1•5) | 40•2 (1•3) | 0•75 |
| Birth weight (g) | 1663 (362) | 1821 (536) | 0•08 |
| Birth weight (z score) | −0•04 (1•04) | 0•25 (1•09) | 0•16 |
| Bronchopulmonary dysplasia | 6 (10•0) | 2 (4•1) | 0•24 |
| Necrotising enterocolitis | 0 | 0 | |
| Exclusive breast milk feeding at time of MRI | 39 (65•0) | 36 (73•5) | 0•41 |
| Sex (Female) | 27 (45•0) | 23 (46•9) | 0•84 |
Data are mean (standard deviation) or n (%). Bronchopulmonary dysplasia was defined as oxygen requirement at 36 week's post-menstrual age. Z scores were calculated using WHO standards.38.