U.S Hospitals See Increase in Addict Babies

Tennessee- Medical professionals are concerned about the rise in the number of infants born addicted to prescription drugs in the U.S.

Known medically asneonatal abstinence syndrome, babies born with a drug dependency will require small doses of an opiate, such as morphine, until they can be weaned off and their withdrawal symptoms are brought under control.

According to an Associated Press report, staff at the East Tennessee Childrens Hospital in Knoxville expect to treat 320 children this year for drug dependence, up from 283 the year prior and 33 in 2008.

According to the report, the East Tennessee Childrens Hospital neonatal units dedicates approximately half of its beds to newborns being treated for drug addiction.

The agitation caused by withdrawal have led medical staff to place mittens on the infants hands to prevent them from scratching and rubbing their own faces.

A similar report by the Wall Street Journal in 2012, which focused on Florida hospitals, describes medical professionals slowly coming to grips with an increase in drug dependent newborns.

Photo courtesy: photopin.com

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U.S Hospitals See Increase in Addict Babies