This Birth Defect Is Becoming More Common – And The Opioid Crisis Could Be To Blame
By Rosie McCall
21 Jan 2019, 18:41
A birth defect called gastroschisis is on the rise in the US and elsewhere, and experts think it might have something to do with the opioid crisis. A study linking the health condition to the drug has been published in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Gastroschisis is a defect affecting the abdominal wall. Affected infants develop a hole close to the belly button, which causes their intestines to literally spill out from their tummy. The larger the hole, the more problematic the condition and the more likely an organ (the stomach or the liver, for example) also exits the body.
The good news is that it doesn't have to be fatal. It does, however, require instant surgery post-birth and plenty of recovery time. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), who were involved in the new research, it is also associated with longer-term digestive and feeding complications during childhood.
https://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/this-birth-defect-is-becoming-more-common-and-the-opioid-crisis-could-be-to-blame/
