EFFECT OF PHENCYCLIDINE (PCP) ON THE FETUS

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to report the effects of maternal PCP use on the fetus. 94 neonates whose mothers had a history of PCP exposure were compared with 94 control infants. Mothers of study and control patients were matched by maternal date of recruitment, ethnicity, weight, parity, weeks gestation at registration, and tobacco smoking behavior. PCP using women tended to be multiple drug abusers compared to non PCP users (mean number of drugs used 1.4±1.12 vs 0.6±0.8) [p< 0.001]. PCP use was assessed by questionnaire and repeated urine testing. Infant growth, neurological function, physical characteristics, behavior, and hospital course were assessed by a single examiner blind to the maternal history. Study infants had a mean of 4.5±2.7 abnormalities while control infants had a mean of 3.6±2.4 abnormalities [p (2 tailed)< 0.005]. Non parametric tests were used to determine which abnormalities differentiated the study from the control infants. Study infants were more likely to have poor attention, hypertonia, and depressed neonatal reflexes [p < .05]. Growth was normal and anatomic abnormalities were not found. The contribution of 7 classes of abused substances (narcotics, depressants, marijuana, stimulants, cocaine, glue, and alcohol) to the total number of abnormalities was assessed using stepwise multiple regression. Only PCP accounted for a significant percentage of the variance (f = 4.38; p < .05). This study indicates that maternal PCP alone may lead to abnormal neonatal neurobehavior.