Abstract
The opioid epidemic increasingly affects pregnant women and developing fetuses, resulting in high rates of neonatal abstinence syndrome. However, longitudinal studies that prospectively observe newborns with neonatal abstinence syndrome or with maternal opioid use and examine their long-term physical and neurodevelopmental outcomes are lacking. To examine prenatal risk factors associated with maternal opioid use during pregnancy and the short-term and long-term health consequences on their children. This cohort study analyzed data from the Boston Birth Cohort, an urban, low-income, multiethnic cohort that enrolled mother-newborn pairs at birth at Boston Medical Center (Boston, Massachusetts) starting in 1998, and a subset of children were prospectively observed at Boston Medical Center pediatric primary care and subspecialty clinics from birth to age 21 years. Data analysis began in June 2018 and was completed in May 2019. In utero opioid exposure was defined as maternal self-reported opioid use and/or clinical diagnosis of neonatal abstinence syndrome. Pregnancy outcomes, postnatal child physical health, and major neurodevelopmental disabilities, documented in maternal and child medical records. This study included 8509 Boston Birth Cohort mother-newborn pairs for prenatal and perinatal analyses. Of those, 3153 children continued to receive pediatric care at Boston Medical Center and were included in assessing postnatal outcomes. Overall, 454 of the 8509 children (5.3%) in the Boston Birth Cohort had in utero opioid exposure. At birth, opioid exposure was associated with higher risks of fetal growth restriction (odds ratio [OR], 1.87; 95% CI, 1.41-2.47) and preterm birth (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.19-1.86). Opioid exposure was associated with increased risks of lack of expected physiological development (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.17-2.79) and conduct disorder/emotional disturbance (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.20-3.77) among preschool-aged children. In school-aged children, opioid exposure was associated with a higher risk of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (OR, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.42-4.57). In this sample of urban, high-risk, low-income mother-child pairs, in utero opioid exposure was significantly associated with adverse short-term and long-term outcomes across developmental stages, including higher rates of physical and neurodevelopmental disorders in affected children. Efforts to prevent the opioid epidemic and mitigate its health consequences would benefit from more intergenerational research.
Highlights
In the last 25 years, the United States has experienced a dramatic increase in the already epidemic use of opioids, resulting in unprecedented levels of overdose, opioid use disorder, and other harms related to opioids.[1,2] Nationwide, the rate of opioid use disorder among women delivering newborns more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.3 Opioid drug use during pregnancy, whether heroin or prescription painkillers, harms the health of mother and child.[4,5,6,7] A major consequence is opioidassociated neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), defined by signs of withdrawal that infants develop after in utero exposure to opioids.[8]
Opioid exposure was associated with increased risks of lack of expected physiological development (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.17-2.79) and conduct disorder/emotional disturbance (OR, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.20-3.77) among preschool-aged children
Among those enrolled at birth, 3153 mother-newborn pairs who continued to receive pediatric primary care at Boston Medical Center (BMC) were enrolled in a postnatal follow-up study.[28,30,31]
Summary
In the last 25 years, the United States has experienced a dramatic increase in the already epidemic use of opioids, resulting in unprecedented levels of overdose, opioid use disorder, and other harms related to opioids.[1,2] Nationwide, the rate of opioid use disorder among women delivering newborns more than quadrupled between 1999 and 2014.3 Opioid drug use during pregnancy, whether heroin or prescription painkillers, harms the health of mother and child.[4,5,6,7] A major consequence is opioidassociated neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), defined by signs of withdrawal that infants develop after in utero exposure to opioids.[8]. Leading governmental and professional associations, including the US Department of Health and Human Services, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American Academy of Pediatrics, are making concerted efforts to identify risk factors and improve prevention strategies to reduce the negative health effects of opioids on pregnant women and mitigate the developmental consequences of in utero opioid exposure.[2,12,13] Neonatal abstinence syndrome is part of the United States’ national strategy to combat the opioid epidemic, encapsulated in the National Institutes of Health Helping to End Addiction Over the Long-term initiative.[14]
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