Postpartum risk factors in the development of children born to opiate-addicted mothers; comparison between mothers with and without methadone substitution

In a retrospective case control study at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, 101 babies born to opiate-addicted mothers were identified from birth charts from 1988 to 1995. After birth, they developed a withdrawal syndrome (neonatal abstinence syndrome). Fifty control infants and their mothers wer...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Nervenarzt 2000-09, Vol.71 (9), p.730
Main Authors: Ziegler, M, Poustka, F, von Loewenich, V, Englert, E
Format: Article
Language:ger
Subjects:
Adult
Birth Weight
Case-Control Studies
Child Advocacy
Child Development - drug effects
Female
Germany
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant
Infant, Newborn
Methadone - adverse effects
Methadone - therapeutic use
Mother-Child Relations
Narcotics - adverse effects
Narcotics - therapeutic use
Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome - etiology
Opioid-Related Disorders - psychology
Opioid-Related Disorders - rehabilitation
Pregnancy
Retrospective Studies
Seizures - chemically induced
Socioeconomic Factors
Treatment Outcome
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:In a retrospective case control study at the University of Frankfurt, Germany, 101 babies born to opiate-addicted mothers were identified from birth charts from 1988 to 1995. After birth, they developed a withdrawal syndrome (neonatal abstinence syndrome). Fifty control infants and their mothers were selected from neonatal wards. The group of opiate-exposed babies was subdivided into a group born to mothers without methadone treatment (n = 48) and a group born to mothers who were enrolled in a methadone program (n = 51). The methadone infants had a significantly higher mean birth weight (2822 g) than children in the group without methadone (2471 g). The abstinence syndrome was much more intense in the methadone group (convulsions 47.1%) than in heroin-exposed babies without methadone treatment (convulsions 27.1%). Women in methadone maintenance programs lived in more stable socioeconomic conditions than opiate-addicted women without methadone substitution. Moreover, they cared significantly better for their babies: 81.3% of the methadone mothers visited their children on a regular basis and 90.9% cared adequately. The data emphasize the need in future research to look more closely at the role of methadone treatment programs in the development of opiate-exposed babies.
ISSN:0028-2804