The rate at which U.S. infants died from drug-related causes more than doubled between 2018 and 2022 Deaths rose most sharply during the pandemic, perhaps because health services were tougher to find Exposure to stimulants and narcotic meds were a prime cause of deaths WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- As an epidemic of drug abuse cuts it way through America, none are left unharmed, even the very young.
New data finds that the rate of infants dying from drug-related reasons more than doubled between 2018 and 2022. In 2018, 10.8% of all deaths to babies under 1 year of age were linked to drugs.
Four years later that had risen by 120%, to 24.4% of fatalities, according to researchers from Florida Atlantic University in Boca Raton. The sharpest uptick occurred during the pandemic, suggesting that reduced access to services such as hospitals and prenatal care might have played a role.
“Drug-involved deaths in infants represent a potentially avoidable cause that should be considered in efforts to reduce infant mortality in the United States," said senior study author Dr. Maria Mejia , professor of population health and social medicine at the university. The study authors defined a drug-related death in an infant as one "in which drugs are either the primary cause of death or a contributing factor.
" These deaths might be linked to a mother's drug use, a baby's inadvertent or accidental intake of prescription meds, use of illicit drugs in the home, or other incidents whe.
