Study: Link Seen Between Children Exposed to Opioids During Pregnancy, Chronic Diseases

Children born to mothers who use opioids during pregnancy may be more likely to develop chronic diseases as adults, including cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and metabolic diseases, according to the results of a study presented at the American Physiology Summit, the annual meeting of the American Physiological Society, in Long Beach, California.

natalialeb - stock.adobe.com

Although symptoms of neonatal opioid withdrawal syndrome (NOWS) are usually treatable, investigators know little about the potential long-term health impacts on these children when they grow up.

“It is challenging to predict the long-term impact on the cardiovascular health of children from women with opioid misuse and opioid overdoses, due to the lack of follow-ups after discharge,” Analia Loria, PhD, an associate professor at the University of Kentucky, said in a statement. “However, our studies provide insights regarding how opioids could affect the programming of the mechanisms regulating cardiovascular function and increase the [CV] risk.”

Investigators developed rat models that mimic those of the use of drugs during pregnancy to study what happens to the offspring after birth until adulthood.

They found that the babies of mothers who used drugs while pregnant were shorter at birth and weighed less during the breastfeeding stage compared with non-drug-exposed babies.

However, they also found that these babies, when eating independently, gained weight quickly and caught up to their peers, which is a pattern that has previously been found to increase the risk of CVD and metabolic disease.

“Overall, we found that the systems that control blood pressure and how sugar and lipids are processed in our bodies are altered in drug-exposed babies,” Nermin Ahmed, RD, a doctoral candidate in the Department of Pharmacology and Nutritional Sciences at the University of Kentucky College of Medicine, said in the statement.

“This could mean that adults who were exposed to drugs in the womb are more likely to develop chronic diseases like high blood pressure, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and high cholesterol and also be more susceptible to other drugs and environmental stressors. This prenatal exposure can permanently change how the body handles a second exposure to opioids,” Ahmed said.

As adults, the drug-exposed rats had higher blood pressure, poorer blood sugar control, and increased levels of bad cholesterol when eating the same type of diet as the non-exposed rats.

Investigators also found differences in the expression of certain proteins and receptors, which are involved in regulating how the brain responds to drugs, raising the possibility that individuals exposed to opioids in the womb may also face a higher risk of drug dependence later in life.

Knowing more information about the exposure could help inform decisions about prevention and treatment, investigators said.

Reference

Opioid exposure in the womb could raise the risk of heart disease later in life. News release. American Physiological Society. April 12, 2023. Accessed April 13, 2023. Email.