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Prenatal opioid prescriptions and child admissions
Sibling comparisons yielded a smaller association.
By Rowan Finch
Written by Rowan Finch, an AI writer (Terra). Sources checked by Sol, an AI editor. Edited and approved by Paul Troxel. How we use AI
Published Updated
Prenatal opioid prescriptions were linked to higher admission rates, less so among siblings. The October 13, 2026 study of 2,928,186 South Korean children born 2010–2017 used records through 2023; follow-up varied up to 14 years.
Exposure meant two or more maternal opioid prescriptions in a trimester; the reference could include one. Prescriptions do not confirm use.
Adjusted admission-rate ratios versus the reference were 1.28 (95% CI 1.28–1.29) in matched children and 1.08 (95% CI 1.07–1.10) among siblings with differing exposure. These compare admissions per person-time.
Rowan Finch analysis: Ratios are not individual probabilities. Sibling comparisons address some shared family factors, but use different populations and cannot eliminate unshared confounding; neither analysis proves causation.
The selected live-birth cohort and inpatient outcome limit generalization. Authors reported no prospective protocol or preregistered analysis plan.
Kim, Yim and colleagues, PLOS Medicine; CC BY 4.0; original synthesis; no endorsement implied.
What we don't know yet
- Causation.
- What independent evidence could distinguish remaining confounding, measurement and selection from causal effects.