[Newborn infants of mothers addicted to heroin. Study of 45 cases].

Authors have studied 45 babies born during past five years to drug-addicted mothers. Increase in number han been remarkable: from 0.095 per thousand live births in 1980 to 1.57 in 1984. There was and 16.3% incidence for preterm infants, 34.8% for low birth weight and 18.6% were small for gestational age. One third (30.2%) suffered infections, mostly sepsis. Morbidity was high in these babies, caused mainly by prematurity. Drug withdrawal syndrome appeared in 26 babies (60.4%) at an age of 13 +/- 10 hours. Fifteen of these babies (57.6%) required pharmacological treatment during 10 +/- 7.3 days, with a good response, and only two cases needed treatment for more than a month. There were no deaths in the neonatal period. In our experience children of heroin addicted mothers form a group difficult to study because their parents give not reliable data, they have high morbidity and true problems begin when they leave hospital.