The response of WBC to dexamethasone treatment
In Fig. 2A, patients were divided into two groups according to the histological chorioamnionitis. Both groups showed a similar significant increase in mean WBC count. In Table 2, mean WBC count increased from the baseline value of 9.36×109 to 12.24×109 cell/L by 30.77% (p<0.001) in the CON group, and from 9.71×109 to 12.30×109 cell/L by 26.67% (p<0.001) in the HCA group 24 hours after injection of the first dose of dexamethasone. Then the level of mean WBC remained stable in both groups for the next 24 hours, before declining to 11.24×109 cell/L in the CON group and to 11.41×109 cell/L in the HCA group 72 hours after the first injection, without returning to the baseline level (p<0.001 in both groups). The overall analysis with repeated measure ANOVA revealed no significant differences between two treatment groups at all the time points. These results indicate the same physiologic leukocytosis after dexamethasone treatment in both CON and HCA groups.