Trends in maternal opioid use disorder and neonatal abstinence syndrome in Maine, 2016–2022

• Published in: Journal of perinatology Vol. 44; no. 8; pp. 1104 - 1110
• Main Authors: Dudley, Julia, Gabrielson, Sarah M. B., O’Connor, Alane B., Ahrens, Katherine A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Nature Publishing Group US 01-08-2024; Nature Publishing Group
• Subjects: 692/308/174; 692/700/478/174; Drug abuse; Drug addiction; Epidemiology; Government programs; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Narcotics; Neonatal abstinence syndrome; Neonates; Newborn babies; Opioids; Pediatric Surgery; Pediatrics; Prenatal exposure; Trends; United States > US; Maine
• ISSN: 0743-8346; 1476-5543; 1476-5543
• DOI: 10.1038/s41372-024-01882-x

Objective
To estimate trends in maternal opioid use disorder (OUD) and neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) in Maine using the most recent data available.
Study design
We used hospital discharge data to estimate the annual prevalence of maternal OUD and NAS between 2016 and 2022. In addition, we used birth certificate-linked Medicaid data to estimate related trends among Medicaid enrollees.
Result
From 2016 to 2022, the prevalence of maternal OUD decreased from 35.3 to 18.8 per 1000 deliveries and the prevalence of NAS decreased from 33.2 to 14.0 per 1000 newborns (linear trend
p
values <0.01). Decreasing trends were also found among Medicaid enrollees.
Conclusion
In Maine between 2016 and 2022, there was a decrease in maternal OUD and NAS diagnoses recorded in administrative datasets. These findings should be interpreted with caution due to changes in how OUD and NAS diagnoses are recorded and COVID-related changes in healthcare utilization.