Prenatal alcohol exposure and long-term developmental consequences

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a leading cause of congenital mental retardation but little is known about the long-term development and adolescent outcome of children with FAS. In a 10-year follow-up study of 60 patients diagnosed as having FAS in infancy and childhood, we investigated the long-ter...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Lancet (British edition) 1993-04, Vol.341 (8850), p.907-910
Main Authors: Spohr, H.-L., Willms, J., Steinhausen, H.-C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adolescents
Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning
Berlin - epidemiology
Biological and medical sciences
Body Height
Body Weight
Cephalometry
Child
Child, Preschool
Developmental Disabilities - diagnosis
Developmental Disabilities - epidemiology
Developmental Disabilities - etiology
Family Characteristics
Female
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - complications
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - diagnosis
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders - epidemiology
Fetal alcohol syndrome
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Infant
Intellectual disabilities
Intelligence
Longitudinal studies
Male
Medical research
Medical sciences
Predictive Value of Tests
Severity of Illness Index
Sex Factors
Time Factors
Toxicology
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Summary:Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a leading cause of congenital mental retardation but little is known about the long-term development and adolescent outcome of children with FAS. In a 10-year follow-up study of 60 patients diagnosed as having FAS in infancy and childhood, we investigated the long-term sequelae of intrauterine alcohol exposure. We found that the characteristic craniofacial malformations of FAS diminish with time, but microcephaly and, to a lesser degree, short stature and underweight (in boys) persist; in female adolescents body weight normalises. Persistent mental retardation is the major sequela of intrauterine alcohol exposure in many cases, and environmental and educational factors do not have strong compensatory effects on the intellectual development of affected children.
ISSN:0140-6736
1474-547X
DOI:10.1016/0140-6736(93)91207-3