Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

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Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol EffectsFetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal
Alcohol Effects
Prenatal alcohol exposure is a preventable cause of birth defects, including
mental retardation and neurodevelopmental deficits. Since the initial
recognition in 1968 of the multiple effects that alcohol can have on the
developing fetus [1] and the subsequent delineation in 1973 of fetal alcohol
syndrome (FAS), [2] it has become clear that prenatal alcohol exposure can be
associated with a wide range of abnormalities. [3] More than 80% of children
with FAS demonstrate prenatal and postnatal growth deficiency, mild to moderate
mental retardation, microcephaly, infantile irritability, and characteristic
facial features. Fifty percent of affected individuals also have poor
coordination, hypotonia, attention deficit disorders with hyperactivity,
decreased adipose tissue, and other identifiable facial features. Additionally,
20% to 50% of affected children demonstrate a variety of other birth defects,
including cardiac anomalies, hemangiomas, and eye and ear anomalies. [2,4,15,16]
Even in the absence of growth retardation or congenital abnormalities, children
born to women who drank alcohol excessively during pregnancy appear to be at
increased risk for attention deficit disorders with hyperactivity, fine-motor
impairment, and clumsiness as well as more subtle delays in motor performance
and speech disorders. [4] These findings have been referred to as fetal alcohol
effects (FAE). As recently described, FAS and FAE produce profound cognitive,
behavioral, and psychosocial problems that persist to date of follow-up of those
affected. In the most comprehensive and far-reaching study to date, Streissguth
et al [5] traced the natural history into adulthood and demonstrated the
profound, pervasive, and persistent nature of the biopsychosocial manifestations
of these disorders. Cognitively those affected...