Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

In our study, we evaluated these features individually and found all to occur more frequently in both the FAS and the Deferred groups. Only by documenting the full spectrum of structural defects that constitute FASD will it be possible to fully appreciate the true incidence of problems that alcohol imposes on the developing human fetus, a requirement for developing and carrying out programs to prevent it. At the same time as you ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a specialist, call your state or territory’s early intervention program. Request a free evaluation to find out if your child can get services to help. You do not need to wait for a healthcare provider’s referral or a medical diagnosis to make this call. Parental training is meant to help parents to help families cope with behavioral, educational and social challenges.

How is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) treated?

• Damage to your developing baby can happen at any point during pregnancy.
• Fetal alcohol syndrome isn’t curable, and the symptoms will impact your child throughout life.
• Some symptoms can be managed with treatment by a healthcare provider, but they won’t go away.
• Children with FASD are at increased risk of physical and sexual violence, with 61% experiencing physical or sexual abuse or witnessing domestic violence by 12 years of age.29,39 Sexual abuse should be considered in children who present with inappropriate sexual behaviors.
• It’s also recommended that you not drink alcohol if you’re sexually active and not using effective birth control.

Also, not all people who drink while pregnant feel comfortable talking to their healthcare provider. This means that some people with mild symptoms of FASD might never be diagnosed. Prenatal or postnatal growth retardation typically results in a height or weight below the 10th percentile drunken fetal syndrome for age and race. To complement the 2005 Annual Clinical Focus on medical genomics, AFP will be publishing a series of short reviews on genetic syndromes.

Table II.

As part of the CIFASD, a Dysmorphology Core was established to assure accurate and consistent diagnosis of FAS in children at all consortium sites through implementation of a standard protocol based on documentation of the clinical phenotype of FAS. Children at these sites were ascertained using a variety of methods including cross-sectional, retrospective and prospective study designs. Children born with this syndrome experience the symptoms throughout their entire lives. Some symptoms can be managed with treatment by a healthcare provider, but they won’t amphetamine addiction treatment go away.

• Over time, a number of secondary effects can happen in people with FAS, particularly in those who aren’t treated for the condition in childhood.
• Alcohol consumption could harm the developing fetus at any time during pregnancy — especially early on in the development process.
• While some deformities of FAS may be evident through prenatal ultrasound, it is difficult to diagnose FAS during pregnancy.
• These babies may be normal physically and mentally but have other symptoms such as hyperactivity and behavior problems.
• Specialists could be a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist.

About Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs)

• They may hyperextend their heads or limbs with hypertonia (too much muscle tone) or hypotonia (too little muscle tone) or both.
• Without appropriate support services, these individuals have a high risk of developing secondary disabilities such as mental health issues, getting into trouble with the law, abusing alcohol and other drugs, and unwanted pregnancies.
• The beginning of fetal development is the most important for the whole body, but organs like the brain continue to develop throughout pregnancy.
• The alcohol passes from the mother’s bloodstream through the placenta into the blood supply of the developing baby.
• The range and severity of damage from alcohol varies from case to case and may be the result of various factors such as the quantity of alcohol consumed, the timing during pregnancy, the pattern of alcohol use, genetics, and environmental factors.

Doctors typically rely on these symptoms and evaluations of intelligence and language development to help make a diagnosis. When a child is diagnosed, other children of the mother should be evaluated to determine whether they also have FAS. There is no known safe amount of alcohol during pregnancy or when trying to get pregnant. Alcohol can cause problems for a developing baby throughout pregnancy, including before a woman knows she’s pregnant. All types of alcohol are equally harmful, including all wines and beer. The symptoms of this condition will be with the person throughout their entire life.

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)?

The significantly increased number of additional structural defects seen in children of White race compared to Cape Colored children is also unexplained. However, these data suggest that prenatal alcohol exposure might lead to a different phenotype based on age and racial background. No one particular treatment is correct for everyone with fetal alcohol syndrome. FAS exists on a spectrum of disorders and the way each person is impacted by the condition can vary greatly. For some, it’s best to monitor their child’s progress throughout life, so it’s important to have a healthcare provider you trust.