Rate of Florida Babies Born with Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome Soared in Past 20 Years

The number of babies born in Florida with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) soared more than 10-fold in the past 20 years, according to a new report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During the same period, these births increased three-fold nationally.

Babies born with NAS undergo withdrawal from the addictive drugs their mothers took during pregnancy, such as oxycodone, morphine or hydrocodone, HealthDay reports.

Almost all of the babies identified in the Florida study required admission to the neonatal intensive care unit, where they stayed an average of 26 days.

“These infants can experience severe symptoms that usually appear within the first two weeks of life,” said lead researcher Jennifer Lind. Symptoms can include seizures, fever, excessive crying, tremors, vomiting and diarrhea, she said. Withdrawal can take several weeks to a month.

A majority of babies with NAS need treatment with morphine or the anticonvulsant phenobarbital to reduce seizures and other symptoms of withdrawal, the article notes.

Only about 10 percent of the babies’ mothers were referred for drug counseling or rehabilitation during pregnancy, even though urine drug tests were performed on 87 percent of the mothers, and 90 percent of those tests came back positive.

In 2013, Florida launched an initiative to tackle the growing problem of NAS. A task force of doctors, public health experts and social workers in Florida made recommendations in the areas of prevention, intervention and best practices, and treatment. It recommended that hospitals be required to report babies born with symptoms of NAS, as they do with babies born with infectious diseases such as measles and tuberculosis. The group recommended considering new laws to offer pregnant women immunity for seeking substance abuse treatment. According to the CDC report, NAS is now a mandatory reportable condition in Florida.