Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: About, causes and co-occurring conditions

Alcohol seems most damaging in the first trimester (three months) of pregnancy but can affect the fetus at any time during the pregnancy. Prenatal alcohol exposure is the leading preventable cause of congenital (present at birth) conditions in the United States. When consumed during pregnancy, alcohol crosses the placenta and enters the fetus’s bloodstream.

• There are many types of treatment options, including medication to help with some symptoms, behavior and education therapy, parent training, and other alternative approaches.
• Alcohol is broken down more slowly in the immature body of the fetus than in an adult’s body.
• Parents can also receive parental training tailored to the needs of their children.
• Talk to your doctor if you think your child might have FAS.
• The signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome can vary.
• They may be able to help you stop drinking before it hurts your baby.
• There is no «safe» amount of alcohol that pregnant women can drink.

It’s a lifelong disability, but is preventable with the right services and supports. FASDs refer to a collection of diagnoses that represent the range of effects that can happen to a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth. These conditions can affect each person in different ways, and can range from mild to severe. There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant.

How can fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) be prevented?

However, this requires that a mother stop using alcohol before becoming pregnant. Because no amount of alcohol is proven safe, women should stop drinking immediately if pregnancy is suspected. Our scientists are studying fetal alcohol syndrome and the impact of environmental factors in the etiology, treatment, and prevention of mental retardation and developmental disabilities. FASD is caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, which is the leading preventable cause of congenital conditions in the United States. There are currently five types of FASD, including FAS, diagnosed by prenatal alcohol exposure, craniofacial dysmorphology, growth impairment, and neurodevelopmental problems.

• The greater the amount of alcohol consumed, the more severe the symptoms tend to be.
• However, these conditions are considered alcohol-related birth defects[20] and not diagnostic criteria for FAS.
• Recently, several studies have objectively assessed the patterns of maternal alcohol consumption and identified infants who exhibit FAS-related deficits in growth by biological analysis [29–32].
• Brain growth in the fetus takes place throughout pregnancy, so stopping alcohol consumption as soon as possible is always best.
• The best thing you can do is stop drinking when you are thinking about getting pregnant.

In Korea, the estimated prevalence of FAS is 0.18–0.51% in general schools and 14.9% in facilities for kids with mental retardation according to an epidemiological survey in 2012 [8]. According to Lee et al. [9], approximately 16% of women were reported to drink alcohol during pregnancy, and 1.7% reported binge drinking in Korea. Moreover, the annual drinking https://ecosoberhouse.com/ rate among Korean women (over 19 years old) was higher in 2015 (70.8%) than in 1998 (59.3%) according to data from the Korea Health Promotion Institute [1]. The increasing rate of child-bearing-aged women who consume alcohol can be considered to increase the chance of alcohol exposure during pregnancy, whether intentionally or unintentionally.

Fetal alcohol effects

Signs and symptoms of fetal alcohol syndrome may include any mix of physical defects, intellectual or cognitive disabilities, and problems functioning and coping with daily life. If you drink alcohol during pregnancy you risk causing harm to your baby. Sometimes this can result in mental and physical problems in the baby, called foetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). Fetal alcohol syndrome begins with prenatal alcohol exposure. Teenagers with fetal alcohol syndrome may experience behavioral, cognitive, and physical limitations. Drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy is the most dangerous.

• First-line treatments for children with ADHD and FAS include methylphenidate- and amphetamine-derived stimulants.
• Binge drinking is defined as the consumption of 5 or more drinks on a single occasion (a standard drink is defined as approximately 14 g of pure alcohol) [24,28].
• In 2019, CDC researchers found that 1 in 9 pregnant people drank alcohol in a 30-day period of time.
• However, consumption of alcohol any time during pregnancy can be harmful, according to guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Lifelong treatment is required and is more effective if collaborative care coordination occurs between all professional agencies.
• However, diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can be difficult.

CDC is working to make alcohol screening and brief intervention (SBI) a routine element of health care in all primary care settings. Using the information that is available, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and other scientists estimate less than 2 cases of FASD in every 1,000 live births in the United States. When researchers look at the whole spectrum of disorders (FASD), the frequency may be as high as 1 to 5 out of every 100 kids in the U.S. and Western Europe. You may also find it helpful to contact a support group for people with FASD.