Neuropsychomotor development characteristics of the infants who born from women who used drugs during pregnancy

Abstract

Introduction: The use of street drugs during pregnancy, due to their deleterious effects on the health of the infant, may have clinical implications for neuropsychomotor development. Objective: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of the neuropsychomotor development of infants born from women who used street drugs during pregnancy. Methods: A cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out. A total of 51 medical records of infants weighing less than 1.500 grams, who were born in the Hospital de Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Uberlândia (HC/UFU), Minas Gerais, Brazil, from January 2014 to December 2015 were analysed. Using the Development Screening test Denver II at 6 or 9 months of corrected age performed the neuropsychomotor development evaluation. Statistical analysis included quantitative variables that were described by means of average, medians and standard deviation. Groups were compared by the t test or Mann-Whitney test. The associations of the qualitative variables were evaluated by means of the likelihood ratio test. Results: Of the 51 records analysed, 39.2% belong to the group of children of mothers who used street drugs and 60.8% belong to the group of children of nonuser mothers. The neuropsychomotor development was predominantly abnormal and with a significant difference in the general performance classification (p < 0.001) and, specifically, in the coarse motor area (p = 0.003) in the group of infants born to mothers who used street drugs. Conclusion: Infants of mothers who used street drugs had a greater delay in neuropsychomotor development.