The researchers looked at the number of babies born with neonatal abstinence syndrome, a condition that exists when a child is exposed to opiate drugs in the womb, such as heroin or prescription opioids. The children diagnosed with this syndrome go through withdrawal for several days after their birth.
According to the study, the rate of children born with neonatal abstinence syndrome has doubled from 2008. At that time, there were 2.8 cases of opioid dependencyper 1,000 live births. By 2013, the number rose to 7.3 cases per 1,000 live births. About 27,315 children in the United States during the year 2013 were diagnosed as having withdrawal symptoms at their birth. [1]
Alarmingly, within the state of Pennsylvania, the rate of children born addicted to drugs has gone up 250% in the last 15 years. According to the state’s statistics, 20 out of every 1,000 live children are born addicted to drugs of some sort, which is more than double the national rate of dependence. Statistics in Pennsylvania say that 82% of the time, the children are born dependent on an opioid taken by the mother while she was pregnant. [2]
