HEAD GROWTH IN COCAINE-EXPOSED INFANTS - RELATIONSHIP TO NEONATE HAIRLEVEL

Intrauterine brain growth retardation is the most common brain abnorma lity in infants of cocaine-abusing mothers. We report a cross-sectiona l study of ''at-risk'' pregnancies with 34 infants born to mothers uri ne positive for cocaine at delivery compared to 33 infants born to uri ne-negative mothers from the same clinic. Degree of cocaine exposure w as assessed by radioimmunoassay of combined cocaine and benzoylecgonin e (BE) levels in neonatal hair samples. Twenty-eight neonates were hai r-positive for BE (mean 2507.40 +/- 1248.88 ng/g hair; range 716 to 54 40 ng/g) and differed significantly from the control infants (n = 33) in head circumference and head growth percentiles. A negative correlat ion approaching significance was found between mean BE and head circum ference (r = -.36; p < .06) in the group of newborns with hair positiv e for BE (n = 28). The study demonstrates for the first time head grow th abnormalities in association with levels of cocaine exposure.