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Reduced fetal growth in methadone‐maintained pregnancies is not fully explained by smoking or socio‐economic deprivation
Author(s) -
Mactier Helen,
Shipton Deborah,
Dryden Carol,
Tappin David M.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
addiction
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.424
H-Index - 193
eISSN - 1360-0443
pISSN - 0965-2140
DOI - 10.1111/add.12400
Subject(s) - medicine , methadone , pregnancy , birth weight , obstetrics , confidence interval , gestation , population , methadone maintenance , cohort , cohort study , opioid , pediatrics , anesthesia , genetics , receptor , environmental health , biology
Aim To determine if reduced fetal growth in infants of opioid‐dependent mothers prescribed methadone maintenance in pregnancy is explained by cigarette smoking or socio‐economic deprivation. Design Retrospective cohort study. Setting Inner‐city maternity unit in S cotland. Participants A total of 366 singleton infants of methadone‐prescribed opioid‐dependent mothers compared with the S cottish birth population ( n = 103 366) as a whole. Measurements Primary outcome measures were birth weight and head circumference. Findings In infants of methadone‐prescribed opioid‐dependent mothers mean birth weight was 259 g [95% confidence interval ( CI) 214–303 g; P < 0.0001] less, and mean head circumference 1.01 cm (95% CI 0.87–1.15 cm; P < 0.0001) less than in controls, allowing for gestation, cigarette smoking, area deprivation, infant sex and maternal age and parity. This represents an adjusted difference of −0.61 (95% CI −0.52–−0.71; P < 0.0001) Z ‐score in mean birth weight and −0.77 (95% CI −0.66–−0.89; P < 0.0001) Z ‐score in mean head circumference. Conclusions Reduced fetal growth in infants of opioid‐dependent mothers prescribed methadone maintenance in pregnancy is not fully explained by cigarette smoking, area deprivation, maternal age or parity.