A recent study published in Journal of Perinatal Medicine explores drug-related infant death patterns in the United States between 2018 and 2022.
Study: Increases in drug-related infant mortality in the United States. Image credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock.com
Infant mortality in the US
Infant deaths are defined as deaths that occur between the time a child is born and the age of one year. Compared to the previous year, there was a 3% increase in the overall US infant mortality rate in 2022, with an estimated infant mortality rate of 5.6 deaths for every 1,000 live births in the same year. Infant mortality rates due to maternal complications and bacterial sepsis, both leading causes of infant death, also increased during this period.
In many cases, drugs are directly involved in or contribute to factors associated with infant mortality. Infants can be introduced to various drugs through maternal use, illicit or nonmedical drug use, and accidental ingestion of certain prescriptions.
Recently, there has been a significant increase in drug overdose deaths in the general population, including pregnant and postpartum women. Since drug-related deaths are potentially preventable causes, these events must be seriously investigated to reduce the rate of infant deaths.
Drug-related infant mortality in the US
The current study investigated the temporal trend in drug-related infant deaths between 2018 and 2022 in the U.S. For this purpose, all relevant data were obtained from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Large-Scale Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (MIRACLE).
A total of 295 drug-related infant deaths were recorded between 2018 and 2022, reflecting 0.29% of the 102,110 total infant deaths that occurred during this period. Between 2018 and 2022, there was an increase in drug-related infant deaths from 10.8% to 24.4%. In comparison, a previous study reported a significantly lower drug-related infant mortality rate of 0.64% between 2015 and 2017.
Although the most drug-related infant deaths were recorded in 2021, the highest number of deaths was recorded in 2019, followed by 2022. Importantly, this period was also associated with a significant increase in drug overdose mortality in both pregnant women and after childbirth.
In late 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerged, with its subsequent widespread transmission ultimately leading to the declaration of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in March 2020. By Today, many studies have explored the severe impact of pandemic-related restrictions on mental health and related behaviors. The possible relationship between these effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on drug overdoses among pregnant and postpartum women, combined with the increased rate of drug-related mortality among infants, warrants further investigation.
Several studies have shown that substance use, including opioids and cocaine, can lead to adverse birth outcomes, such as low birth weight and preterm birth, which increase the risk of infant mortality. Reduced prenatal care during the pandemic and hospital closures, particularly in rural areas, may also have contributed to the increase in drug-related infant deaths.
Infant mortality has also been associated with maternal health, living conditions and economic development. Compared to different racial and ethnic groups, non-Hispanic white and black infants were associated with a greater number of drug-related infant deaths.
conclusions
The current study estimates an alarming 2.2-fold increase in drug-related infant mortality in the US between 2018 and 2022. Some notable limitations of the current study include the study’s descriptive design and methodology, which may have omitted critical information about medicines.
In the future, more research is needed to identify the specific drugs that increase the risk of infant mortality and patterns of perinatal substance use. It is also important to develop effective strategies to reduce mortality rates by preventing maternal substance use and enhancing access to prenatal care. New strategies could be created by working with different stakeholders, including public health agencies, health providers and community partners.
