A new study links prenatal exposure to opioids to the development of immune disorders in children.
- Researchers found that children exposed to opioids during pregnancy were more likely to be born prematurely and have low birth weight.
- Perinatal exposure to opioids has also been associated with an increased risk of infection and eczema.
- Due to their addictive power, opioids have triggered real health crises in France and the United States.
A new study established a link between prenatal exposure to opioids and the development of immune disorders in children.
“What is the association between prenatal opioid exposure and risk of immune-related conditions?” write the authors of the investigation at the beginning of their report.
“Clinically, evidence of the influence of prenatal opioid exposure on the immune system has already been observed in umbilical cord samples, with exposed newborns showing lower levels of neutrophils, inflammatory cytokines and chemokines compared to unexposed newborns, indicating dysregulated inflammatory processes,” they add to justify their research.
Perinatal opioid exposure associated with increased risk of infection and eczema
Their study used the medical records of all children born in Australia between January 1, 2003 and December 31, 2018. 401,462 newborns were followed for their first 5 years. Data was reviewed between August 30, 2022 and February 27, 2023.
After analysis, researchers found that children exposed to opioids during pregnancy were more likely to be born prematurely and have low birth weight. Perinatal exposure to opioids has also been associated with an increased risk of infection and eczema.
“Prenatal exposure to opioids was also associated with increased risk of childhood asthma, but not allergies,” complete the scientists. “Autoimmune diseases were rare within the cohort and were also not linked to prenatal opioid exposure,” they continue.
“These results suggest that, consistent with animal studies, exposure to opioids during pregnancy may have a long-term impact on the child’s immune system and health,” they conclude.
Opioids: a health crisis in the United States and France
In the United States, more than 450,000 people have now died from opioid overdoses – figures that do not include those who switched to hard drugs. An American baby is born every twenty minutes addicted to this type of painkillers, suffering from neonatal abstinence syndrome.
In France, health authorities are observing a similar development. According to the National Agency for the Safety of Medicines and Health Products (ANSM), between 2000 and 2017, the country increased from 15 to 40 hospitalizations for opioid overdose per million inhabitants, and the number of deaths for overdose more than doubled over the same period.
