Infants after birth are put at a higher risk of developing neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) when mothers use opioids during pregnancy.
Researchers from the Vanderbilt University Medical Center found out that pregnant women are often given opioid drug to alleviate pain. This results to a higher likelihood of their child developing NAS.
The research team also discovered that certain opioid drugs along with prolonged exposure, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and tobacco use upped the risks of developing NAS for the infant.
In the study titled "Prescription Opioid Epidemic and Infant Outcomes," the researchers analyzed three years worth of data from TennCare. This included the assessment of over 112,000 health records of pregnant mothers. The research team estimated that about 28 percent of the mothers were given at least one opioid drug to relieve their pain.
Out of all the babies that developed NAS, 65 percent of them had mothers that were prescribed an opioid drug, according to Medical Xpress. The study was published on April 13 in the Pediatrics journal.
Lead author Dr. Stephen W. Patrick said that public health efforts should focus more into lessening opioids and tobacco use as much as possible during pregnancy to avoid complications for babies.
Dr. Patrick, who is from the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital, added that physicians should always be careful of prescribing an opioid drug to a pregnant woman to protect the child.
The researchers also found out that women who took opioids were more likely to use tobacco by 41.8 percent, compared to women who do not take a narcotic pain reliever by 25.8 percent.
Infants who have NAS were often found to be born with a very low birthweight, respiratory complications, seizures and feeding difficulties, according to Medscape.
The researchers said that the study shows compelling evidence that opioids or any other narcotic have a serious impact to the health of the baby, and that they hope more state policies will be made on limiting opioid drug use for pregnant women to lessen the risks of NAS for infants.