The Number Of Opioid-Addicted New Moms In America Has Quadrupled

BURLINGTON, VT — The number of pregnant women using opioids such as heroin and fentanyl skyrocketed nationwide after 1999 and is particularly high in Vermont. Now, federal health officials warn the crisis poses a “significant public health concern.” Between 1999 and 2014, the national prevalence of opioid use disorder among new moms more than quadrupled from 1.5 cases per 1,000 deliveries all the way to 6.5, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported this month.

In Vermont, the rate of opioid-addicted moms was 48.6 cases per 1,000 deliveries in 2014, the latest year that data was available. That’s a stark increase from what it was in 2001, when the rate was just .5 cases per 1,000 deliveries.

While Vermont ranked the worst in the country in 2014, that number is actually down from 2013, when that rate peaked at more than 51. Meanwhile, Washington, D.C., and Nebraska saw the lowest rates in the country at .7 and 1.2, respectively.

"These findings illustrate the devastating impact of the opioid epidemic on families across the US, including on the very youngest," CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield said in a release.

Unfortunately, the CDC report does not tell the whole story. Just 30 states and the District of Columbia had sufficient publicly available data to be included in the report, and out of those, just 25 states and the District of Columbia had such data for 2014.

“Increasing trends over time were observed in all 28 states with available data,” the report found.

Here are the 10 states with the worst rates for opioid use by pregnant women in 2014:

1. Vermont (48.6)
2. West Virginia (32.1)
3. Kentucky (19.3)
4. New Mexico (14.8)
5. Maryland (11.7)
6. Washington (10.8)
7. Rhode Island (10.2)
8. Oregon (8.4)
9. North Carolina (7.8)
10. Michigan (7.7)

The average annual rate increase was lowest in California, while the highest increases were seen in Maine, New Mexico, Vermont and West Virginia, ranging from 2.5 to 5.4 opioid use disorder diagnoses per 1,000 delivery hospitalizations per year.

The CDC noted that pregnant women abusing opioids is problematic due to the link between drug use and the adverse effects on both new mothers and newborn babies. This includes preterm labor, stillbirth, neonatal abstinence syndrome — referring to when newborns are withdrawing from drugs — and maternal death.

"Untreated opioid use disorder during pregnancy can lead to heartbreaking results," Redfield said. "Each case represents a mother, a child, and a family in need of continued treatment and support."

The CDC said state action is “critical” to curbing the opioid epidemic, and recommended they focus on programs and policies to reduce illegal — and prescription — opioid use, “both of which contribute to the epidemic.”

“Continued national, state, and provider efforts to prevent, monitor, and treat opioid use disorder among reproductive-aged and pregnant women are needed,” the authors wrote. “Efforts might include improved access to data in Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs, increased substance abuse screening, use of medication-assisted therapy, and substance abuse treatment referrals.”

The CDC report used hospital discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project.

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