New Studies Clarify Risk Factors for Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
These studies: Identified factors that affect the risk for and severity of neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). Suggest that reducing expectant mothers’ polysubstance use during buprenorphine treatment for opioid use disorder is an important goal for reducing NAS severity. Infants who have been exposed to opioids in the womb are at risk of developing symptoms of opioid dependence and withdrawal, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS), at birth. They may require extended hospital stays and treatment with tapering doses of morphine to resolve their dependence and control symptoms that can