Risk of preterm and early term birth by maternal drug use

Rebecca J Baer; Christina D Chambers; Kelli K Ryckman; Scott P Oltman; Larry Rand; Laura L Jelliffe-Pawlowski

doi:10.1038/s41372-018-0299-0

Risk of preterm and early term birth by maternal drug use

J Perinatol. 2019 Feb;39(2):286-294. doi: 10.1038/s41372-018-0299-0. Epub 2018 Dec 20.

Authors

Rebecca J Baer^{1

2}, Christina D Chambers³, Kelli K Ryckman⁴, Scott P Oltman^{5

6}, Larry Rand^{5

7}, Laura L Jelliffe-Pawlowski^{5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA. rjbaer@ucsd.edu.
² California Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA. rjbaer@ucsd.edu.
³ Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.
⁴ Departments of Epidemiology and Pediatrics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA, USA.
⁵ California Preterm Birth Initiative, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁶ Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
⁷ Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.

PMID: 30573752
DOI: 10.1038/s41372-018-0299-0

Abstract

Objective: Examine the risk of preterm birth (PTB, < 37 weeks) and early term birth (37-38 weeks) for women with reported drug abuse/dependence.

Study design: The population was drawn from singleton livebirths in California from 2007 to 2012. Drug abuse/dependence was determined from maternal diagnostic codes (opioid, cocaine, cannabis, amphetamine, other, or polysubstance). Relative risks, adjusted for maternal factors were calculated for PTB and early term birth.

Result: Of the 2,890,555 women in the sample, 1.7% (n = 48,133) had a diagnostic code for drug abuse/dependence. The percentage of PTBs varied from 11.6% (cannabis) to 24.3% (cocaine), compared with 6.7% of women without reported drug abuse/dependence.

Conclusion: Women with reported drug abuse/dependence during pregnancy were at increased risk of having a PTB and all but those using cannabis were at risk of having an early term birth. Women using cocaine and polysubstance were at the highest risk of birth < 32 weeks.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
California / epidemiology
Cocaine-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
Cohort Studies
Female
Gestational Age
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Logistic Models
Marijuana Abuse / epidemiology*
Pregnancy
Pregnancy Complications / epidemiology*
Premature Birth / epidemiology*
Premature Birth / etiology
Risk Factors
Substance-Related Disorders / epidemiology*
Term Birth