Diagnostic yield of hair and urine toxicology testing in potential child abuse cases

Stauffer, Stephanie L; Wood, Stephanie; Krasowski, Matthew D.

doi:10.1016/j.jflm.2015.04.010

Cited by 18 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 28 publications

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“…In 210 MA-exposed infants in the IDEAL study, 71% were identified by maternal self-report compared to 3.8% by meconium alone [91]. Other matrixes, including newborn hair, are increasingly used in forensic or chain of custody settings but these tests may not be widely available or accessible [92].…”

Section: Drug Screening and Testing To Diagnose Prenatal Ma Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal methamphetamine—impact on the mother and child—a review

et al. 2021

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Methamphetamine (MA) is the second most commonly used illicit drug in the world, after cannabis. There are limited data on the outcomes of pregnant MA users but there is rapidly emerging evidence to suggest that they are more vulnerable, marginalized and impoverished compared with other drug‐using mothers. MA use during pregnancy is associated with worse pregnancy outcomes and significantly higher rates of co‐existing health and psychosocial problems. Newborn infants exposed to MA are at increased risk of perinatal complications, present differently at birth to infants exposed to other drugs of dependency such as opioids and have poorer neurological adaptation and feeding difficulties. Sparse literature from neuroimaging and cohort studies suggests that the neurocognitive deficits in MA exposed children persist, even into adulthood. Current clinical practice guidelines for the care of substance exposed pregnant women are opioid‐centric with little attention paid to the consequences of prenatal MA exposure.

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Section: Drug Screening and Testing To Diagnose Prenatal Ma Exposurementioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal methamphetamine—impact on the mother and child—a review

et al. 2021

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“…Hair toxicology samples were analyzed by United States Drug Testing Laboratory (Des Plaines, Illinois, USA) using the Childguard ® test for amphetamines (including amphetamine and methamphetamine), cocaine, opiates, phencyclidine, and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) [ 9 ]. Collection of hair specimens followed chain of custody procedure with documentation of specimen matrix and location, indication for testing, test panel, and patient identification.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A case series involving young children presenting with accidental ingestion of amphetamine based stimulants

2018

Self Cite

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“…4 However, documented cases have demonstrated that acute intoxication by drugs in children is frequently the first evidence of a repeated exposure to those drugs. 5 Based on this experience, hair analysis has become the "gold standard" in cases of suspected exposure to drugs in children because it provides a broader window of detection than urine and can be easily collected under supervision. 2 Nevertheless, peculiarities of young children's hair must be taken into account in order to achieve an accurate interpretation.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Children victims of drug abuser parents: Hair testing as a forensic tool to assess exposure—A cohort of 37 cases from Spain

García-Caballero

Martínez-González

2023

Drug Testing and Analysis

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Hair testing is a useful tool to investigate suspected pediatric exposure to drugs of abuse. Newborns and young children are at high risk of exposure to drugs of abuse from parents or caregivers who consumed these substances, a fact prosecuted by Spanish authorities as child abuse. A retrospective study based on a cohort of 37 cases classified using several parameters, which involve children under 12 years old, were analyzed at the Drugs Laboratory of the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (Madrid, Spain) between 2009 and 2021. Hair samples were tested for the presence of opiates, cocaine, ketamine, amphetamines, methadone, and cannabis using a gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) method. A 59% of the studied children had ages in the range of 1–3 years old, and in 81% of cases, victims required hospitalization. In 81% of cases (n = 30), hair was submitted only or in combination with other samples, and these were classified in four categories according to analyzed samples: A (only hair), B (hair and blood), C (hair and urine), and D (hair, blood, and urine). The 93.3% of these cases (n = 28) showed a positive result of cannabinoids (THC and CBN in hair and THC‐COOH in urine; 71.4% n = 20), cocaine and metabolites (benzoylecgonine and cocaethylene; 46.4% n = 13), opiates (morphine and 6‐acetylmorphine), and amphetamines (MDMA and MDMA; 3.10% n = 1). Hair analysis matched positive results in cases where urine screening test was carried out previously (n = 24) and in those cases where blood and/or urine were also submitted (35.6% n = 11). As a conclusion, hair analysis was confirmed as a useful tool to detect previous exposure to acute poisoning events in children.

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Diagnostic yield of hair and urine toxicology testing in potential child abuse cases

Cited by 18 publications

References 28 publications

Prenatal methamphetamine—impact on the mother and child—a review

Prenatal methamphetamine—impact on the mother and child—a review

A case series involving young children presenting with accidental ingestion of amphetamine based stimulants

Children victims of drug abuser parents: Hair testing as a forensic tool to assess exposure—A cohort of 37 cases from Spain

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