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Overview of Results
Study Highlights
Affect of Low
Birth Weight
Resources
Results provided by
researchers at the Brown University Medical Center and Women & Infants
Hospital show that newborns exposed before birth to Meth are more
than three times as likely to be born underweight. The “Infant
Development, Environment and Lifestyle Study" (IDEAL) is the first
large-scale study of prenatal Meth use on newborns. It is also the first
prospective study: these infants will be followed over time. Researchers
will track the children’s development and health for at least three years,
longer if they obtain funding. The results were published in September’s
Pediatric.
Results show that newborns exposed to the drug were not born too soon.
Instead, they were born too small – below the 10th percentile
for weight. Growth-restricted newborns in the study weighed less than 5
pounds. Methamphetamine appears to restrict the nutrient-rich flow of
blood into the placenta, increasing the risk that the newborn will be
“small for gestational age”.
The
National Institute on Drug Abuse and the
National Center for Research Resources funded the work.
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Study Points:
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1618 mothers were enrolled in four cities (Los Angeles, Des Moines,
Tulsa, Honolulu)
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84
mothers used Meth during the pregnancy
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Researchers adjusted for other factors that may contribute to growth
restriction, such as socioeconomic status and other substance use,
including tobacco and alcohol.
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Mothers who quit use during pregnancy increased the likelihood that
their babies would be born closer to normal weight.
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Impact of
prenatal and early growth restriction
Children born underweight are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes and
metabolic syndrome, a collection of heart attack risk factors such as high
blood pressure and obesity. They also face a higher risk of behavior
problems, such as hyperactivity, short attention span, and/or learning
difficulties.
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For more on this study:
Release from
Brown University
Join Together summary article
Med Page Today
Smith, Lynne M., LaGasse, Linda L., Derauf, Chris, Grant, Penny, Shah,
Rizwan, Arria, Amelia, Huestis, Marilyn, Haning, William, Strauss, Arthur,
Grotta, Sheri Della, Liu, Jing, Lester, Barry M.
The Infant Development, Environment, and Lifestyle Study: Effects of
Prenatal Methamphetamine Exposure, Polydrug Exposure, and Poverty on
Intrauterine GrowthPediatrics 2006 118: 1149-1156
(doi:10.1542/peds.2005-2564)
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Related Information:
Dr. Kathryn Wells' Papers
Drug Endangered Children
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