Outcome in infants exposed to methadone in utero

doi:10.1136/bmj.a1774

Published 23 September 2008, doi:10.1136/bmj.a1774
Cite this as: BMJ 2008;337:a1774

Letters

Injecting drug use in pregnancy

Outcome in infants exposed to methadone in utero

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

We want to respond to Bell and Harvey-Dodds’ commentson the safety of methadone in pregnancy, specifically regardingpostnatal development.¹ Concerns are increasing about nystagmusand delayed visual development in infants born to drug misusingmothers,² ³ and we have shown alteration in visual evoked potentialsin newborn infants exposed to methadone in utero compared withcontrols.³

A recent Australian study has shown adverse neurodevelopmentaloutcome in a cohort of 133 singleton infants delivered to compliantmethadone-prescribed women.⁴ These infants were found to havesignificant delay at 18 months and 3 years on various differentscales of infant development. In the same paper, the authorsundertook a literature review of neurodevelopmental outcomewhich confirmed that infants exposed to opiates in utero areat significant risk of psychomotor developmental delay, lowIQ, and behavioural problems.⁴

Most of these women use illicit substances in addition to methadone,²³ ⁴ and whether the visual and developmental . . . [Full text of this article]

Laura McGlone, paediatric registrar¹, Helen Mactier, consultant neonatologist ¹, Jane R MacKinnon, consultant paediatric ophthalmologist²

¹ Princess Royal Maternity, Alexandra Parade, Glasgow G31 2ER, ² Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Glasgow G3 8SJ

lauramcglone@doctors.org.uk