Abstract
In the past decade, the United States has experienced an increase in deaths related to nonmedical and medical opioid overdose. This is due to a number of factors including an increase in recreational opioid use, and the over prescription of opioids for various conditions such as during pregnancy, injury, and illness. The over utilization of opioids during pregnancy in the United States has led to an increase in adverse neonatal birth outcomes including poor fetal growth, preterm birth, stillbirth, neonatal abstinence syndrome in neonates, and an increase in maternal mortality among mothers. These are dire consequences that should not be ignored. This paper discusses opioid abuse during pregnancy and its effects on neonates in the United States. It also discusses some challenges associated with the diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome and provides recommendations for addressing the issue Additionally, it discusses what mothers can do to prevent neonatal abstinence syndrome.
Highlights
The current abuse, over prescription, and addiction to opioids such as prescription pain relievers, and synthetic opioids in the United States (US), has become a serious national public health issue, as well as an economic burden, costing the nation about $78.5 billion a year in healthcare costs, lost productivity, addiction treatment, and criminal justice involvement (National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2020)
In the past decade, the United States has experienced an increase in deaths related to nonmedical and medical opioid overdose
The over utilization of opioids during pregnancy in the United States has led to an increase in adverse neonatal birth outcomes including poor fetal growth, preterm birth, stillbirth, neonatal abstinence syndrome in neonates, and an increase in maternal mortality among mothers
Summary
Over 47,000 people have died from overdosing on opioids, and in 2018 alone, over 10 million people, including pregnant women, abused prescription opioids (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2019). Opioid prescriptions for pregnant women enrolled in commercial insurance plans saw an increase of about 14 percent between 2005 and 2011 (Yazdy, Desai, & Brogly, 2015) These reports underscore the risk for expectant mothers to become dependent on opioids. From 2000 to 2013, NAS prevalence in South Carolina increased from 0.9 per 1000 live births, to 3.9 per 1000 live births (Ko, Patrick, Tong, Patel, Lind, & Barfield, 2016) These variations may be due to state differences in opioid prescription rates, prevalence of opioid abuse, or how ICD-9 codes were used. About 46 percent of participants identified as current cigarette smokers, and 21.7 percent reported alcohol use within the past month (Metz, Brown, Martins, & Palamar, 2018)
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