Study: Opioid epidemic increasingly reaching newborn babies
The surging opioid epidemic in the United States is increasingly affecting some of the country's most vulnerable citizens: newborn babies.
A study released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, based on data in 28 states, reveals that babies born dependent on drugs increased 300% between 1999 and 2013. The babies, born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), experience withdrawal at birth. They often suffer from vomiting, diarrhea, seizures, feeding difficulties and sometimes respiratory distress.
NAS is most often the result of opioid exposure, and the increase in NAS rates coincides with the ongoing heroin epidemic and the increase in the supply of prescription opioids. A CDC study released last month found that heroin addiction among women doubled from 2011 to 2014 compared with 2002 to 2004. Additionally, the CDC says the sale of prescription opioids nearly quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.
"NAS is an indicator of the nation's broader opioid epidemic," said Jean Ko, the lead author of the study. "It is a concerning condition and trend."
To curb the problem, Ko said clinics should be stricter in handing out prescription opioids, which include painkillers such as oxycodone, morphine and methodone. They have high potential for addiction and are sometimes a gateway to heroin, which is an opioid.
State-specific programs could also help solve the problem, Ko said.
Born into suffering: More babies arrive dependent on drugs
Four states — Florida, Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee — have made NAS a reportable condition to their respective state health departments. Such surveillance systems can help states monitor NAS and determine effective treatment for women and newborns, Ko said.
In addition to withdrawal symptoms, babies affected by NAS are likely to suffer long-term cognitive disabilities such as attention-deficit disorder, said Dr. Suna Seo of MedStar Georgetown University Hospital. Seo, who specializes in neonatology, said concrete statistics on long-term effects are not yet available, but will be in the coming years.
The CDC study's findings varied widely by state, and some states were much worse than others. In Vermont, where the heroin epidemic is particularly problematic, there were 33.3 incidents of NAS per every 1,000 hospital births in 2013.
The findings are consistent with other studies on the subject in recent years. A study last year in the New England Journal of Medicine found that admissions of babies suffering from NAS to U.S. neonatal intensive care units nearly quadrupled between 2004 and 2013, from seven to 27 per 1,000 admissions. Additionally, a study published last year in the Journal of Perinatology found that one baby affected by NAS was born every 25 minutes in 2012.
Laura Ungar contributed reporting to this story.