Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Alcohol As A Teratogen, A Historical And Research Perspective Of Fas, Diagnosis And Prevention
developmental pregnancy exposure abnormalities
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) represents a preventable pattern of clinical abnormalities that develop during embryogenesis (the developmental stages shortly after conception) due to exposure to alcohol during pregnancy. FAS is currently the leading cause of birth defects and developmental delay, with as many as 12,000 babies born affected in the United States each year. Although the prevalence of FAS is not known for certain, it is estimated that there are between 0.5 to three cases of FAS per 1,000 liveborns in most populations. Alcohol is a teratogen in that exposure to the fetus during pregnancy can result in physical malformations of the face and head, growth deficiency and mental retardation. Exposure to excessive amounts of alcohol can even cause embryonic death. It is often difficult to quantify the amount of alcohol that is associated with developmental and physical abnormalities and even subtle amounts might cause varying degrees of developmental delay that are not immediately recognized. For this reason, abstinence from alcohol during pregnancy it is often recommended
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Infants, young children, and young adults who were exposed to alcohol during pregnancy often have lower than average birth weight and height. Cardinal clinical manifestations include physical abnormalities such as hypotonia (low muscle tone), smaller than normal skull, irregularities of the face including small eye sockets, mid-face hypoplasia (arrested development of the nose, or "flat-fac…
In 1899, the first observation connecting children of alcoholic mothers to the associated risks was shown in a study comparing these children to children of non-alcoholic relatives. However, alcohol consumption during pregnancy was not considered to be a risk to the fetus until it was formally concluded as a risk factor in 1973. During the late 1960s, federally funded studies investigating causes …
Accurate diagnosis of FAS is extremely important because affected children require special education to enable them to integrate more easily into society. Mild FAS often goes unnoticed or mimics symptomatology caused by other birth defects. It is important, therefore, that children with abnormalities, especially in cases where the mother consumes alcohol during pregnancy, be fully evaluated by a p…
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