DEVELOPMENTAL RISK FOR INFANTS OF MATERNAL COCAINE ABUSERS - EVALUATION AND CRITIQUE

Eighty-five studies of the effects of intrauterine cocaine exposure on the infant were critically reviewed. Forty-eight (56 %) of the studie s were prospective in design and 37 (44 %) were retrospective, Althoug h many of these studies interpreted their findings as supportive of th e common perception that negative effects of cocaine on the infant hav e been clearly demonstrated, an examination of methodology used in man y of the investigations calls this conclusion into serious question. M ethodological issues identified in the studies included weaknesses in experimental design, drug detection, subject selection, analyses, and interpretation of results. Although exposure of the fetus to toxic che micals in utero has been shown to have deleterious developmental effec ts, the nature and magnitude of these effects, especially with regard to cocaine remains unclear.