Illicit drugs - infections and neonatal anthropometric characteristics

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Neonatal Medicine
• Public Health

Background:

• Drug addiction in pregnancy poses significant short- and long-term risks to mothers, fetuses, and newborns.
• There is a growing concern regarding the increasing incidence of newborns affected by maternal illicit drug use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the trends and outcomes of newborns born to mothers with drug addiction.
• To identify key neonatal morbidities associated with maternal drug use during pregnancy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective descriptive study.
• Data collected from a higher-level maternity hospital over 22 years (2002-2024).
• Inclusion criteria: newborns from mothers with illicit drug use before and during pregnancy.

Main Results:

• A steady increase in incidence of newborns from mothers with drug addiction observed, particularly in the last 12 years.
• Common neonatal morbidities included withdrawal syndrome (61.2%), risk of congenital/perinatal infections (58.16%), prematurity (43.87%), and low birth weight (≤2500g, 55.10%).
• Intrauterine growth restriction was also noted.

Conclusions:

• Illicit drug use during pregnancy is a major risk factor for neonatal morbidity and mortality.
• Associated risks include prematurity, intrauterine growth restriction, neonatal withdrawal syndrome, and congenital/perinatal infections.
• Effective interventions are crucial to mitigate these adverse outcomes.