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Increased Newborn and Mother Hospital Stays Related to Substance Use

Substance abuse during pregnancy can cause serious health problems for newborn babies as well as for mothers. These figures illustrate the increased rate of newborns' and mothers' hospital stays related to substance use between 2006 and 2012, as well as the trend toward more opiate use among pregnant women.

Drug Use-Related Hospital Stays Rising for Mothers, Newborns

(Line graph for rate of neonatal and maternal hospital stays related to substance use by 1,000 total stays from 2006 to 2012)

• Between 2006 and 2012, the rate of maternal hospital stays related to substance use increased by 33 percent, from 13.4 to 17.9 per 1,000 maternal stays.
• Between 2006 and 2012, the rate of neonatal hospital stays related to substance use increased by 71 percent, from 5.1 to 8.7 per 1,000 neonatal stays.

Mother Hospital Stays Rise For Opiates, Drop for Cocaine

(Bar chart for rate of maternal hospital stays related to opiates and cocaine use by 1,000 total stays from 2006 to 2012).

• Opiates: 135 percent increase from 2006 to 2012
• Cocaine: 51 percent decrease from 2006 to 2012

Newborns Exposed to Drugs Have Higher Complication Rates

(Bar chart for rate of complication by percentage for newborns exposed to drugs and all other newborns)

Newborns with a substance related condition were more likely to have higher complication rates as compared to all other newborns including:

• Low birth weight: 20.3 versus 6.7 percent
• Respiratory distress: 30.1 versus 10.0 percent
• Difficulty feeding: 16.2 versus 3.8 percent

Source: http://www.hcup-us.ahrq.gov/reports/statbriefs/sb193-Neonatal-Maternal-Hospitalizations-Substance-Use.jsp

Publication date: July 28, 2015