![]() With little else to go on, investigators interested in studying the effects of cocaine on the human fetus had two potential bodies of research on which to draw, the known effects of cocaine on adults and on animals. Part of the ambiguity in results might be attributed to the initial lack of information regarding effects of cocaine on human development. Recent reports, however, indicate that the effects may be subtle and could be masked and/or confounded by environmental factors, such as amount of prenatal care 8 or socioeconomic status. ![]() 1– 4 Early alarming reports about pronounced neurobehavioral abnormalities in neonates exposed to cocaine in utero 5– 7 raised subsequent concerns about potential long-term neurodevelopmental effects on fetal and infant outcome. Estimates of the proportion of babies born in urban teaching hospitals who test positive for cocaine range from 5–45%. ![]() Perinatal epidemiologic studies in the late 1980s documented the large numbers of infants born after fetal exposure to cocaine. In the 10 years since the “crack baby” was first identified and birth outcomes reported, findings have been controversial and at times contradictory. The history of research on the effects of in utero cocaine exposure has been both short and turbulent.
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