GROWTH-PATTERNS OR INFANTS EXPOSED TO COCAINE AND OTHER DRUGS IN-UTERO

Objective Exposure to cocaine in utero is known to cause intrauterine growth retardation. This study describes the postnatal growth patterns of infants exposed to cocaine and other drugs in utero. Design A convenience sample of 31 Northern California infants was monitored for 1 year. Infants in foster care were selected to eliminate the environmental effects of a parent's drug-seeking lifestyle. Entrance criteria consisted of age less than 6 months old, in utero drug exposure, and foster-care placement shortly after birth. The infants were predominantly black. Analysis The infants' growth indexes were compared with the expected growth of infants in three reference populations: the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reference population, all infants in the 1991 Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System (PNSS-all), and black infants in the 1991 PNSS (PNSS-black) using the one-sample exact binomial test. infants took in more energy and protein per kilogram than 100% of the Recommended Dietary Allowances at every age interval. Results At birth, mean weight of the study infants was significantly lower than that of NCRS, PNSS-all, and PNSS-black infants (P<.01); mean length was significantly lower than that of NCHS and PNSS-all infants (P<.01),but not significantly different from PNSS-black infants. By 6 months, there were no significant differences in weight compared with any group. At all age intervals after birth, mean length for the study infants was significantly less than that of NCHS and PNSS-all infants (P<.01), and significantly less than that of PNSS-black infants (P<.05). Our findings indicate that despite adequate nourishment, stunting in length continued through the first year, resulting in infants who were overweight for length.