Table. Maternal and Neonatal Demographic and Clinical Characteristics.
| Characteristic | Participants, No. (%) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Neonates with NOWS (n = 19)a | Neonates without NOWS (n = 46)b | |||
| Exposed to opioids (n = 7) | Not exposed to opioids (n = 39) | |||
| Maternal (prenatal) | ||||
| Age, mean (SD), y | 29.4 (4.8) | 32.3 (3.3) | 30.5 (5.7) | .34 |
| Opioid substitute | ||||
| Methadone | 12 (63.2) | 3 (42.9) | 0 | <.001 |
| Buprenorphine | 7 (36.8) | 3 (42.9) | 0 | |
| Other prescribed opioid | 0 | 1 (14.3) | 0 | |
| None | 0 | 0 | 39 (100) | |
| Illicit drug usec | 6 (31.6) | 0 | 0 | <.001 |
| Psychiatric medication use | 6 (31.6) | 2 (28.6) | 0 | .009 |
| Less than high school education | 6 (31.6) | 2 (28.6) | 11 (28.2) | .52 |
| Neonatal | ||||
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 8 (42.1) | 4 (57.1) | 24 (61.5) | .27 |
| Male | 11 (57.9) | 3 (42.9) | 15 (38.5) | |
| Gestational age, mean (SD), wk | 40.1 (1.2) | 39.7 (0.9) | 39.4 (1.1) | .06 |
| Birth weight, mean (SD), kg | 3.1 (0.4) | 3.4 (0.4) | 3.4 (0.4) | .01 |
| Birth length, mean (SD), cm | 49.9 (2.4) | 50.8 (1.9) | 50.1 (5.2) | .73 |
| Birth head circumference, mean (SD), cm | 33.7 (1.3) | 34.2 (1.2) | 34.0 (3.6) | .53 |
| Highest FNAST score, mean (SD)d | 10 (2.3) | 5 (1.2) | NA | NA |
Abbreviations: FNAST, Finnegan Neonatal Abstinence Scoring Tool; NA, not available; NOWS, neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome.
a
The NOWS group was composed of neonates exposed to opioids who developed NOWS.
b
The control group was composed of neonates exposed to opioids who did not develop NOWS and healthy infants who were not exposed to opioids.
c
Illicit drug use includes nonprescribed use of hallucinogens, cocaine, opioids, heroin, stimulants, cannabis, or sedatives.
d
Score range, 0-46, with higher scores indicating more severe withdrawal symptoms.