HealthDay (6/28, Norton) reported, “Children exposed to opioids in the womb may have heightened risks of long-term mental and physical health issues,” researchers concluded after examining data “on more than 8,500 mothers who gave birth at Boston Medical Center between 1998 and 2016.” The study revealed that “on average…children exposed to opioids in the womb had roughly twice the risk of being diagnosed with conduct disorder, emotional disturbances or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.” Then, “as preschoolers, those children were also more likely to show slower-than-normal physical development,” the study found. The findings were published online in JAMA Network Open.
MedPage Today (6/28, Hlavinka) reported that “because the issues faced by women with opioid use disorder are complex, postpartum interventions that address employment, financial security, and safe housing need to be considered in addition to pregnancy care, wrote” the author of an accompanying editorial.
Related Links:
— “Prenatal Opioid Exposure Could Bring Long-Term Harm to Kids, “Amy Norton, HealthDay , June 28, 2019