Dementia in a 58-year-old woman

The outcome of pregnancy associated with amphetamine use

Thirty cases of pregnancy associated with maternal amphetamine use were studied retrospectively fifteen out of the 30 women used amphetamines alone and the other 15 used other drugs in addition to amphetamines. Women who simultaneously used opiates were excluded from this analysis. Women were cared for in a multidisciplinary setting and all delivered in one hospital. With support all women were encouraged to discontinue drug use. There were 2 perinatal deaths, 1 from each group (amphetamines alone or amphetamines plus others). The mean birth weight were 2878 and 2959 grams respectively and gestational age 38.23 and 37.47 weeks respectively. If the whole group was divided into women who ceased amphetamine use and continued use in pregnancy, there was no marked difference between outcome in these 2 subgroups, however, the 2 perinatal deaths both occurred in women who continued amphetamine use. The risk of prematurity was 28.6% and low birth weight 25%, rates which were not reduced by an alteration in drug use.