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