Maternal Substance Use and Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome: A Descriptive Study

Area of Science:

• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS)
• Maternal Substance Use
• Pediatric Health

Background:

• Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) is a significant consequence of maternal substance use during pregnancy.
• Accurate statistics on NAS prevalence and substance exposure are limited due to underreporting.
• The impact of different substance exposures on NAS severity remains understudied.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of NAS and types of substance use during pregnancy.
• To investigate if NAS symptom presentation varies based on the specific substance(s) of exposure.
• To compare NAS severity in infants exposed to methadone versus other substances.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective chart review of 131 mother-infant pairs over one year at a tertiary care hospital.
• Inclusion criteria: documented NAS scores (Modified Finnegan Scoring Tool) and maternal substance use during pregnancy.
• Data analysis focused on NAS prevalence, substance types, and symptom severity correlations.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of NAS (8.7%) was observed, primarily linked to illicit opioids and methadone treatment.
• Over 50% of women on methadone maintenance treatment also used additional substances, mainly opiates.
• Infants exposed to methadone exhibited more severe NAS, including higher peak scores, prolonged treatment, and extended hospital stays compared to non-methadone exposed infants.

Conclusions:

• Methadone exposure is associated with significantly more severe Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome.
• High rates of co-occurring substance use among women on methadone treatment necessitate targeted interventions.
• Evidence-based strategies are crucial to mitigate the adverse effects of NAS, especially in methadone-exposed infants.