America's addictions epidemic has created a generation of children affected by their parents' problems, a doctor who works with infants born addicted to heroin has told a gathering of experts in the US.
This includes physical problems of addicted newborns and the chaos older children experience as a result of their parents' addictions, Dr Kathy Wedig, a neonatologist at Cincinnati Children's Hospital said.
Such children "cannot have what we would consider is a normal childhood," Wedig said.
Wedig says the epidemic is affecting society overall because of the cost of treating and helping such children.
The conference at Xavier University drew hundreds of doctors, nurses, social workers and addiction specialists.
Cases of children suffering from "toxic stress," a condition caused by exposure to trauma or neglect, are both increasing and more severe because of the addictions epidemic, said Dr Jennifer Bowden, a child psychiatrist in Cincinnati.
Toxic stress can inhibit physical, emotional, social and language development and put children at risk for health issues such as emphysema, diabetes and cardiac problems, she said.
The Public Children Services Association of Ohio says the number of children taken into custody has risen 19 per cent over the past seven years. The increase is largely due to parents' painkiller and heroin addictions, according to the association.
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