Number of babies born with opioid dependence has tripled in US, says CDC report
pharmafile | August 12, 2016 | News story | Medical Communications, Research and Development | CDC, addicted, babies, opioid dependence, opioids
A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has highlighted a sharp increase in the number of babies born in the US with opioid dependence, with a 300% increase between 2000 and 2012.
Opioids have become a major issue in the US in recent times, with President Obama urging action to be taken on the issue with the FDA announcing a string of new measures to combat the chronic problem of opioid addiction in the country.
According to the new CDC stats, the problem of opioid addiction has led to a sharp rise in cases of neonatal abstinence syndrome. The condition is a postnatal drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns primarily caused by in utero exposure to opioids.
Some US states fared much worse than others, including Maine and Vermont. West Virginia fared the worst, with 33.4 of every 1,000 babies born with withdrawal symptoms. Newborns in Hawaii were affected least, with only 0.7 cases per 1,000 births. Highlighting the disparity between states, the report says: “Taken together, these factors make state-specific neonatal abstinence syndrome estimates important to the formulation of public health plans to improve the health of mothers and infants affected by opioid use.”
The report points out that Medicaid programs bore the brunt of the financial responsibility for these issues, accounting for approximately 80% of the estimated $1.5 billion in neonatal abstinence syndrome-related annual hospital charges in 2012.
The CDC issued new guidance on opioids earlier this year, recommending nonopioid therapy in chronic pain outside of active cancer, palliative and end-of-life care, and using opioids at the lowest possible dosage to reduce the risk of disorder and overdose.
Sean Murray
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