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PI‐42
Author(s) -
GarciaBournissen F.,
Rokach B.,
Koren G.
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
clinical pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.941
H-Index - 188
eISSN - 1532-6535
pISSN - 0009-9236
DOI - 10.1016/j.clpt.2005.12.063
Subject(s) - methamphetamine , transplacental , pregnancy , medicine , hair analysis , fetus , polysubstance dependence , obstetrics , placenta , pharmacokinetics , drug , physiology , pharmacology , substance abuse , psychiatry , biology , alternative medicine , pathology , genetics
BACKGROUND Methamphetamine abuse has been gathering momentum as a serious public health problem. Evidence of chronic use, particularly during pregnancy, is hard to obtain. Methamphetamine accumulates in hair and can be detected several months after exposure. Drugs that cross the placenta can be detected in hair of newborns. METHODS We developed a hair immunoassay for methamphetamine at Motherisk laboratory in Toronto. The aim of the study was to find evidence of methamphetamine exposure during pregnancy using hair measurements of the drug. RESULTS Out of 1124 positive methamphetamine results, we identified 8 mother‐child pairs who had methamphetamine positive hair. None of the pairs identified included mothers with negative results, but there were 2 (25%) of the neonates who had a negative methamphetamine result although the mother was positive. Mean methamphetamine values were 1.8 ng/mg of hair in the mothers and 1.08 ng/mg in the neonates. There was a trend towards correlation between maternal and fetal levels. CONCLUSION To our knowledge, this is the first report that shows transplacental passage of methamphetamine, with accumulation in the fetal hair. We believe this provides the basis for studies to define pharmacokinetics of this drug in the mother‐child couple. We have also shown that hair measurement of methamphetamine in neonates is a useful screening method to detect intra‐uterus exposure. As fetal hair grows in the last trimester of pregnancy, a positive result may indicate maternal addiction. Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics (2005) 79 , P18–P18; doi: 10.1016/j.clpt.2005.12.063