Melania Trump spotlights babies in opioid withdrawal amid calls for better research, treatment

[TomSea]

Melania Trump spotlights babies in opioid withdrawal amid calls for better research, treatment
by Kimberly Leonard  | July 29, 2018 12:00 AM

First lady Melania Trump is advocating for solutions to the opioid crisis.
(AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

First lady Melania Trump is drawing attention to babies who face withdrawal after being exposed to opioids in the womb, even as health facilities are working to develop better ways to care for them and as significant research gaps remain.

Trump traveled to Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt in Nashville as part of her Be Best Campaign that launched in May. There she spotlighted the condition, known as neonatal abstinence syndrome, that earlier data show have surged with the opioid crisis.

But while public health officials have data on opioid-related death and addiction, they don't know precisely to what extent the drugs impact babies. They can develop neonatal abstinence syndrome from women taking opioids during pregnancy, but not all those women are abusing drugs such as heroin or prescription painkillers. Some are taking medications to treat their addiction, while others were prescribed opioids for pain.

Read more at: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/healthcare/melania-trump-spotlights-babies-in-opioid-withdrawal-amid-calls-for-better-research-treatment