Author Topic: Prenatal meth use studied  (Read 1506 times)

Dos Equis

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Prenatal meth use studied
« on: April 16, 2009, 07:42:57 PM »
How does this factor into the legalize drugs argument?     

Prenatal meth use studied
UH research indicates it can cause abnormal brain development in kids
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The use of methamphetamine by women during pregnancy appears to cause abnormal brain development in children, according to a study by the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine.

The research results were published yesterday in the online issue of Neurology, which is the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Dr. Linda Chang, a professor at the UH school of medicine, is the principal investigator of the study and assistant professor Christine Cloak wrote the research paper.

Methamphetamine abuse is a growing problem in Hawai'i, but until now, the affect on unborn children was not known. Chang said meth use by pregnant women also is increasing.

As part of the study, brain scans were performed on 29 3- and 4-year-old children whose mothers admitted using meth while pregnant, and 37 children of the same age who were not exposed to the drug. Researchers used a new magnetic resonance imaging technique known as "diffusion tensor imaging" to look for abnormalities in tiny brain structures.

The research, the first of its kind, showed that children with prenatal exposure had differences in the white matter, which carries messages throughout the brain, and in the maturation of their brains compared with unexposed children.

"Our findings suggest prenatal meth exposure accelerates brain development in an abnormal pattern," Chang said. "Such abnormal brain development may explain why some children with prenatal meth exposure reach developmental milestones later than others."

Studies have shown that prenatal meth exposure can lead to increased stress and lethargy and poorer quality of movement for infants. So far, the UH research has shown what appears to be "very subtle" problems associated with the meth exposure, Cloak said.

"We're not seeing huge problems," Cloak said. "We do do some memory tests with them, but that all is in the process of being analyzed as we go. So we don't have any real conclusive things right now."

UH is in the middle of the five-year study and the participants will be tested annually to determine if brain differences will normalize with age.

"So we'll be able to watch to see if any of the differences that we saw, whether they got better or worse or anything as the children get older," Cloak said.

Cloak said there haven't been many studies in this area because of restrictions set by the Food and Drug Administration on scanning children's brains for research purposes. A lack of funding also has limited research, she said.

"Part of what we're doing is actually new to see what the normal is," Cloak said. "We really need to keep watching both the children who had exposure and the children who didn't because we can't just look at children who had the prenatal methamphetamine exposure and say, 'Oh yeah, that's different from the norm,' because we don't know what the norm is."

The study was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Center for Research Resources, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and the Office of National Drug Control Policy.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20090416/NEWS15/904160331/1001

Straw Man

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #1 on: April 16, 2009, 07:58:22 PM »
I'm against prenatal meth use




Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #2 on: April 16, 2009, 08:07:17 PM »
Seems like meth and any other drug that is legalized would be treated the same as alcohol and tobacco, both of which can harm unborn babies.  Not against the law to smoke and drink while pregnant. 

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #3 on: April 16, 2009, 08:09:22 PM »
I think it's bad obviously, but so is Alcohol and Tobacco use when pregnant and dumb bitches smoke up and drink when they're knocked up all the time.

Sounds like legalizing those drugs is without a doubt just common sense and would help so many issues in this country.

Straw Man

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #4 on: April 16, 2009, 08:14:56 PM »
I'm also against prenatal driving and prenatals should not be allowed to vote

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #5 on: April 16, 2009, 08:17:09 PM »

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #6 on: April 16, 2009, 08:29:55 PM »
I think it's bad obviously, but so is Alcohol and Tobacco use when pregnant and dumb bitches smoke up and drink when they're knocked up all the time.

Sounds like legalizing those drugs is without a doubt just common sense and would help so many issues in this country.

Almost sounds like it would be trading one set of problems for another. 

Straw Man

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #7 on: April 16, 2009, 08:35:35 PM »
Almost sounds like it would be trading one set of problems for another. 

what is the trade again?


tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #8 on: April 16, 2009, 08:38:16 PM »
Almost sounds like it would be trading one set of problems for another. 

No... because one is a set of problems an intelligent person would not choose.

The other set of problems is is a blight on this entire nation. (cartels, crime, gangs)

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #9 on: April 16, 2009, 08:42:44 PM »
No... because one is a set of problems an intelligent person would not choose.

The other set of problems is is a blight on this entire nation. (cartels, crime, gangs)

Except there are quite a few mothers who smoke while pregnant (see article below).  Looks like it's about ten percent of all pregnant mothers.  Not sure how many drink during pregnancy.  It's probably a lot easier to engage in dumb behavior when the product is legal. 

Mothers Who Smoke While Pregnant

The percentage of births to women who reported smoking during pregnancy has dropped substantially during the 1990s, from 19.5 percent in 1989 to 10.2 percent in 2004. (Figure 1)

Importance

Smoking during pregnancy is associated with many adverse outcomes for children, such as premature birth, low birthweight, intrauterine growth retardation, stillbirth and infant mortality, as well as negative consequences for child health and development.1,2 Mothers who are exposed to second-hand smoke are also more likely to have lower weight babies, putting them at risk for many health problems.3 Infants whose mothers smoke during pregnancy are three times more likely to die from Sudden Infant Death Syndrome as are babies whose mothers do not smoke during pregnancy.4 Children born to mothers who smoked while pregnant, and possibly children whose grandmothers smoked while pregnant, have a higher risk of developing childhood asthma.5,6,7 In addition, maternal smoking during pregnancy is a risk factor for early childhood obesity.8

Smoking during pregnancy is also associated with later problem behaviors for the child. For example, smoking by the mother during pregnancy has been found associated with substance abuse and criminal behavior in both male and female children when they reach adulthood.9

Trends

Between 1989 and 2004, the percentage of births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy decreased by about a half, from 19.5 percent to 10.2 percent (preliminary estimate for 2004). Among teen mothers ages 15 to 19, the percentage who smoked during pregnancy increased modestly between 1994 and 1999 but then declined in to a new low of 14.2 percent in 2004. (Figure 1)


Differences by Race and Ethnicity

American Indian/Alaska Native women were the most likely to smoke during pregnancy, followed by non-Hispanic white women and non-Hispanic black women. In 2004, 18.2 percent of American Indian or Alaska Native births, 13.8 percent of non-Hispanic white births, and 8.4 percent of non-Hispanic black births were to women who smoked during pregnancy (based on preliminary estimates). (Figure 2) In contrast, very few Hispanic or Asian or Pacific Islander women smoked during pregnancy. In 2004, 2.2 percent of Asian or Pacific Islander births and 2.6 percent of Hispanic births were to women who smoked during pregnancy.

There were substantial variations in smoking rates among subgroups within both the Hispanic and Asian or Pacific Islander categories. Among Hispanics, the percentage of women who smoked during pregnancy ranged from 1.2 percent for Central and South American mothers to 8.5 percent for Puerto Rican mothers in 2004. Similarly, among Asian or Pacific Islanders, the percentages ranged from 0.5 percent for Chinese mothers to 13.7 percent for Hawaiian and part-Hawaiian mothers in 2002, the latest year in which these estimates are available. (See Table 1)

Differences by Age

Young women ages 15 to 24 were much more likely than older women to smoke during pregnancy. In 2004, 14.2 percent of births to teens ages 15 to 19 and 15.5 percent of births to women ages 20 to 24 were to women who smoked during pregnancy, compared with less than 10 percent of births to women ages 25 and older. (Figure 3)

Differences by Mother's Education10

Among women ages 20 and older, those with a college degree were the least likely to smoke during pregnancy. In 2004, less than two percent of births to college graduates were to women who smoked during pregnancy. In contrast, 23.7 percent of women with 9 to 11 years of education smoked during pregnancy. Women with fewer than nine years of education were also relatively unlikely to smoke (5.5 percent). (Figure 4) In part, this is because Hispanic women, many of whom are immigrants, and who have low rates of smoking during pregnancy, account for a high percentage of women with less than nine years of education.

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State and Local Estimates

2004 state estimates of the percentage of births to mothers who smoked during pregnancy are available at http://www.kidscount.org/datacenter/compare_results.jsp?i=45

http://www.childtrendsdatabank.org/indicators/11MothersWhoSmokeWhilePregnant.cfm

240 is Back

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #10 on: April 16, 2009, 08:47:21 PM »
women who smoke when pregnant should be forced to live in a smoke-filled bubble for 9 months after they give birth.

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #11 on: April 16, 2009, 09:05:49 PM »
Except there are quite a few mothers who smoke while pregnant (see article below).  Looks like it's about ten percent of all pregnant mothers.  Not sure how many drink during pregnancy.  It's probably a lot easier to engage in dumb behavior when the product is legal. 


Yeah, because it's so hard for people to get meth now... ::)

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #12 on: April 16, 2009, 09:15:05 PM »
How does this factor into the legalize drugs argument?     

Prenatal meth use studied
UH research indicates it can cause abnormal brain development in kids
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer

The use of methamphetamine by women during pregnancy appears to cause abnormal brain development in children, according to a study by the University of Hawai'i John A. Burns School of Medicine.

DAH!!!!
Like they really needed a study to tell them that?!   :o

The stuff burns holes through an adults skin, ...but who knows, ...could be safe for a developing fetus?! Good grief!
w

tonymctones

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #13 on: April 16, 2009, 09:17:32 PM »
damn you beach i thought that was my old college we are also UH (university of houston).

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #14 on: April 18, 2009, 12:31:45 PM »
Yeah, because it's so hard for people to get meth now... ::)

Yeah, it's just as easy for a pregnant mother to buy meth illegally as it is to buy cigarettes or alcohol legally.   ::)

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #15 on: April 18, 2009, 12:36:30 PM »
damn you beach i thought that was my old college we are also UH (university of houston).

Sorry dude.   :)  Your UH did give us Andre Ware, David Klingler, and the some of the most exciting college football in the modern era.   :)

Hugo Chavez

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #16 on: April 18, 2009, 12:36:58 PM »
If you're doing meth you might as well be drinking gasoline.

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #17 on: April 18, 2009, 12:41:40 PM »
Yeah, it's just as easy for a pregnant mother to buy meth illegally as it is to buy cigarettes or alcohol legally.   ::)

The point is that people will do whatever they want... They don't are if it's legal or illegal.

Is this more of you trying to get into other people's business?

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #18 on: April 18, 2009, 12:57:36 PM »
The point is that people will do whatever they want... They don't are if it's legal or illegal.

Is this more of you trying to get into other people's business?

Actually the point was whether legalizing meth will make it easier for pregnant women to use it and cause harm to a greater number of unborn babies. 

The thread isn't about me.   ::)

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #19 on: April 18, 2009, 01:02:24 PM »
Actually the point was whether legalizing meth will make it easier for pregnant women to use it and cause harm to a greater number of unborn babies. 

The thread isn't about me.   ::)

Then why have you rolled your eyes at least twice in the past 4 posts?

So obviously it is about you somewhat... You are making points on your opinion right?

Legalizing meth will cause no more harm than the current legal products which have been deemed harmful to babies.

Aspirin is ALSO deemed harmful to unborn children and has been known to cause stillborn babies... It's not illegal either and people use it constantly when they are pregnant.

So my point is that a pregnant mother who is going to do stupid things will do stupid things.

You believe the person who will smoke meth won't possibly drink or smoke?

Trust me... if you're a meth head, you already do one of the other things... I guarantee it and if you don't care if you smoke meth, you won't care if you drink or smoke.


Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #20 on: April 18, 2009, 01:23:54 PM »
Then why have you rolled your eyes at least twice in the past 4 posts?

So obviously it is about you somewhat... You are making points on your opinion right?

Legalizing meth will cause no more harm than the current legal products which have been deemed harmful to babies.

Aspirin is ALSO deemed harmful to unborn children and has been known to cause stillborn babies... It's not illegal either and people use it constantly when they are pregnant.

So my point is that a pregnant mother who is going to do stupid things will do stupid things.

You believe the person who will smoke meth won't possibly drink or smoke?

Trust me... if you're a meth head, you already do one of the other things... I guarantee it and if you don't care if you smoke meth, you won't care if you drink or smoke.



Dumb comments get the eyeroll.

I'm commenting on drug use by pregnant women, not about anything related to me personally.  I'm sure you know the difference. 

If legalizing meth "will cause no more harm than the current legal products which have been deemed harmful to babies," then we're looking at least ten percent of pregnant mothers using meth.  That's a pretty significant number. 

The law never stops people from doing stupid things.  That wasn't my point.  It was whether legalizing this (or any drug) would have a detrimental effect on unborn children, similar to how tobacco and alcohol harm unborn children. 

Does this mean we don't legalize a product?  I don't know, but whether this increases one set of problems is part of the analysis.  Or at least it should be. 
 

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #21 on: April 18, 2009, 01:30:13 PM »
Dumb comments get the eyeroll.

I'm commenting on drug use by pregnant women, not about anything related to me personally.  I'm sure you know the difference. 

If legalizing meth "will cause no more harm than the current legal products which have been deemed harmful to babies," then we're looking at least ten percent of pregnant mothers using meth.  That's a pretty significant number. 

The law never stops people from doing stupid things.  That wasn't my point.  It was whether legalizing this (or any drug) would have a detrimental effect on unborn children, similar to how tobacco and alcohol harm unborn children. 

Does this mean we don't legalize a product?  I don't know, but whether this increases one set of problems is part of the analysis.  Or at least it should be. 
 

The point is, it's not YOUR decision to make... It's personal responsibility.

It's like making cars illegal because people drive too fast and kill others... It's a choice and a consequence which people have to live with.

You have to break it down into the basic component.

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #22 on: April 18, 2009, 01:36:27 PM »
The point is, it's not YOUR decision to make... It's personal responsibility.

It's like making cars illegal because people drive too fast and kill others... It's a choice and a consequence which people have to live with.

You have to break it down into the basic component.

Actually it is MY decision as a voter.  It's everyone's decision.  These kinds of things are on the ballot all the time.  What I'm doing is talking about some of the issues that would have to be considered if decriminalization is being discussed.

And one of the distinguishing factors is the effect on an unborn child.     

tu_holmes

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #23 on: April 18, 2009, 01:38:13 PM »
Actually it is MY decision as a voter.  It's everyone's decision.  These kinds of things are on the ballot all the time.  What I'm doing is talking about some of the issues that would have to be considered if decriminalization is being discussed.

And one of the distinguishing factors is the effect on an unborn child.     

I see... busy body.

Don't want anyone telling you what to do, but you like telling others... You want the government out of your pocket, but you want them in your business.

You can't have it both ways.

Dos Equis

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Re: Prenatal meth use studied
« Reply #24 on: April 18, 2009, 01:44:39 PM »
I see... busy body.

Don't want anyone telling you what to do, but you like telling others... You want the government out of your pocket, but you want them in your business.

You can't have it both ways.

[sigh]  Broken record.  The issue is control of the mother, it's the effect a policy decision would have on the unborn child, who has zero control over what the mother ingests during pregnancy.