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Prenatal cocaine exposure and small-for-gestational-age status: effects on growth at 6 years of age

Seetha Shankaran1, Abhik Das, Charles R Bauer

  • 1Department of Pediatrics Wayne State University School of Medicine, United States. sshankar@med.wayne.edu

Neurotoxicology and Teratology
|August 19, 2011
PubMed

Insights

Prenatal cocaine exposure did not affect childhood weight at age 6, but small-for-gestational-age (SGA) status independently impaired growth. Cocaine

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Growth and Development
  • Prenatal Substance Exposure Research
  • Developmental Toxicology

Background:

  • Prenatal cocaine exposure is a significant public health concern.
  • Small-for-gestational-age (SGA) status is associated with long-term growth deficits.
  • The combined impact of prenatal cocaine and SGA on childhood growth requires further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the independent and interactive effects of prenatal cocaine exposure and SGA status on childhood growth.
  • To assess growth trajectories from birth to 6 years of age in children with varying prenatal exposures and birth weights.

Main Methods:

  • Hierarchical linear modeling was employed to analyze growth parameters.
  • Cocaine exposure was identified through maternal history or meconium metabolite analysis.
  • Statistical models controlled for co-exposure to other substances, including alcohol.

Main Results:

  • At birth, cocaine-exposed infants exhibited significantly lower growth parameters than unexposed infants.
  • By 6 years of age, weight differences between cocaine-exposed and unexposed children were no longer significant.
  • SGA infants demonstrated persistent growth impairment, with a significant interaction between prenatal cocaine exposure and SGA status observed at 6 years.

Conclusions:

  • Prenatal cocaine exposure alone did not result in lasting weight deficits by age 6.
  • The detrimental effects of cocaine on weight and height were more pronounced in non-SGA children.
  • SGA status at birth independently impacts childhood growth, with greater negative effects observed in children not exposed to cocaine.
Abstract

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