A Case-Control Study on Perinatal Outcomes of Opium-Addicted Pregnant Women and Their Offsprings in Rafsanjan, Iran

Background: substance abuse during pregnancy leads to considerable adverse effects in mothers and their infants. objectives: the purpose of this study was to evaluate perinatal complications in opium-addicted mothers and their newborns, exposed to opium in utero. patients and methods: during a one-year period (2008 - 2009), 45 opium-addicted mothers and their newborns were enrolled in a casecontrol study in niknafs maternity hospital, iran. maternal drug usage was determined via self-reporting during structured interviews. neonates with in-utero opium exposure were assessed and treated for neonatal abstinence syndrome (nas). demographic characteristics and perinatal complications for case and control subjects were obtained from medical records. results: all cases were addicted to inhaled opium and none received methadone therapy. none of the cases was a heavy cigarette smoker, consumed alcohol, or had positive serology result for sexually-transmitted diseases. the mean ages were similar in both case and control groups. there was a higher prevalence of opium addiction among spouses of the case group subjects compared with the control group (p = 0.001). the case group had significantly lower education level (p = 0.01) and socioeconomic status (p = 0.001) compared to the control group. low birth weight (lbw) was more frequent in the opium-exposed neonates compared with the control group neonates (p = 0.001). in the opium-exposed infants, signs of nas were found in 32 (71%), requiring pharmacotherapy in 25 (55%) cases. conclusions: opium addiction among iranian pregnant women is associated with an increased frequency of lbw in newborns. furthermore, approximately half of the newborns exposed to opium in utero require pharmacotherapy for nas. these findings support the need for comprehensive multidisciplinary evidence-based interventions in at-risk population.