Abstract

Objective: Neonatal abstinence syndrome (NAS) is becoming a serious problem with increasing rate. The rates of illicit drug use in pregnant women and NAS in Turkey are unknown. Neutrophil lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and other acute phase reactants are markers of systemic inflammatory response. In this study, we aimed to ascertain the frequency of NAS, and to measure the acute phase reactants and NLR values in infants with NAS.

Material and Methods: Infants of the mothers who gave birth in our hospital and whose mothers were found to be suffering from illicit drug dependence were included in the study. Infants who were hospitalized for phototherapy without serious hyperbilirubinemia were allocated as the control group. NAS symptoms were evaluated with the Finnegan score. Hemogram, C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin-6 (IL) levels were measured in the blood samples obtained from the infants in the study groups. NLR and other markers were compared between the groups.

Results: The number of NAS cases was found to be 16 in 3989 patients (4.01 / 1000). When hematological parameters were evaluated, the values of NLR were significantly higher in the NAS group (p <0.05). Once the platelet indices in the both groups were evaluated, mean platelet volume (MPV) values were significantly higher in the NAS group (p <0.05). NLR values were found to be higher in infants who received medication due to NAS symptoms (p <0.05).

Conclusion: Neonatal Abstinence syndrome is a growing social problem causing serious morbidity and mortality. A certain inflammatory process is triggered in the newborn by subjecting to those illicit drugs during intrauterine period. Higher levels of NLR and MPV levels in infants with NAS indicate inflammation.

Keywords: Heroin, Marijuana, Pregnancy, Neonatal abstinence syndrome, Illicit drugs

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Copyright and license

Copyright © 2019 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

How to cite

1.
Tayman C. Evaluation of Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) Frequency and Systemic Inflammatory Response in NAS. Turk J Pediatr Dis [Internet]. 2019 May 24 [cited 2025 Aug. 23];13(3):171-6. Available from: https://turkjpediatrdis.org/article/view/609