HRA/CDC/ARHQ Study Finds Continued Increase in Opioid Affected Births

The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and Vanderbilt University Medical Center, announced a new study showing a continued rise in opioid affected births. Researchers examined trends in pregnant women diagnosed with opioid use disorder (OUD) and infants born with neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS). The study found that mothers with opioid-related diagnoses documented at delivery increased by 131% from 2010-2017, and infants born with NAS increased by 82% over the same period. These increases were seen in nearly every State and all demographic groups with rural, white, and Medicaid populations continuing to have the highest rates. In addition, the study found plateaus in opioid diagnoses in New England States suggesting that progress is being made in the region.