Fetal Alcohol Syndrome FAS: Symptoms, Causes & Treatment

Similar information needs to be collected in the UK urgently in order to inform health promotion strategies. Alcohol exposure in utero increases the risk of spontaneous abortion, decreases birth weight, and can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, a constellation of variable physical and cognitive abnormalities. The symptoms of FASDs may look like other health conditions or problems. Make sure your child sees his or her healthcare provider for a diagnosis.

Up to 90% of newborns with maternal alcohol misuse during pregnancy have ocular damage or abnormality . There is no cure for FASDs but identifying children with FASDs as early as possible can help them reach their potential. Research has shown that early identification and enrollment in treatment can significantly improve an affected child’s development and life. FASDs can only happen when a pregnant woman consumes alcohol.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and Related Disorders

Public health officials can use epidemiological data to identify at-risk populations and offer education and encourage abstinence from teratogenic substances. People with fetal alcohol syndrome have facial abnormalities, including wide-set and narrow eyes, growth problems and nervous system abnormalities. Children of mothers who don’t drink alcohol while they’re pregnant won’t develop fetal alcohol syndrome. Parental training is meant to help parents to help families cope with behavioral, educational and social challenges.

There’s no known safe amount of alcohol consumption during pregnancy. There are many types of treatment options, including medication to help with some symptoms, behavior and education therapy, parent training, and other alternative approaches. Good treatment plans will include close monitoring, follow-ups, and changes as needed along the way.

Are there treatments that help with FASDs?

Treatment is highly individualized and can include occupational therapy, speech therapy, and cognitive behavioral therapy for patients who suffer from anxiety and/or depression. Ocular signs present earlier than signs of growth retardation and brain and neurobehavioral involvement and thus can be useful in aiding the early diagnosis of FAS. Ophthalmologic abnormalities such as refractive errors, strabismus, and fundus abnormalities seem to remain unchanged and persistent throughout childhood and adolescence.

• Further uncertainty persists regarding the level of maternal alcohol consumption that can cause damage.
• 6.Roozen S, Peters GY, Kok G, Townend D, Nijhuis J, Koek G, Curfs L. Systematic literature review on which maternal alcohol behaviours are related to fetal alcohol spectrum disorders .
• Alcohol constricts blood vessels, which slows blood flow to the placenta .
• Public health officials can use epidemiological data to identify at-risk populations and offer education and encourage abstinence from teratogenic substances.

Learn about the cardinal dysmorphic facial features relevant to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Frequently Asked Questions Access answers to questions frequently asked about identification, diagnosis, treatment and care management of individuals with an FASD. Professional Development This section provides ongoing professional development for pediatricians and allied healthcare professionals committed to learning more about FASD. Health Supervision This section provides information on evidence-based interventions, resources for clinicians, and helping families of children with an FASD access services and community supports. Renee Turchi, MD, MPH, FAAP is the Section Chief of General Pediatrics and Medical Director of the Center for Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs at St. Christopher’s Hospital for Children in Philadelphia. At St. Christopher, she also oversees a primary care practice dedicated to CYSHCN, including an FASD/NICU primary care follow up program and grants.

Related Institutes & Services

No single physical or cognitive finding is pathognomonic; lesser degrees of alcohol use cause less severe manifestations, and the diagnosis of mild cases can be difficult because partial expression occurs. It is often difficult to distinguish the effects of alcohol on the developing fetus from those of other exposures and factors that affect women who drink excessively. Such programs may focus on improving a child’s behavior with early education and tutoring. Medicine may help a child’s attention problems or hyperactive behaviors.

Treatment methodology seeks to tailor specific therapies to reinforce and address any delays or deficiencies with additional education, practice, and reminders. A person with FASD can get help with their learning and behaviour to maximise their independence and achievements. FASD affects children and youth across all races, ethnicities, cultures and socioeconomic status. Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder is the most common, non-genetic cause of learning disability in the UK . No alcohol be consumed in pregnancy and when planning a pregnancy. Know how you can contact your child’s provider after office hours. This is important if your child becomes ill and you have questions or need advice.

Eye Movement (motor control and executive function)

This condition is preventable only when there is no prenatal alcohol exposure. They also include problems with the central nervous system and poor growth. FASD can also cause mental health, behavior, and development problems. Partial fetal alcohol syndrome .This refers to children who have only 2 of the physical aspects of fetal alcohol syndrome. No one treatment is right for every child, as FASD and its constellation of symptoms differ from one child to another. FASDs need a medical home to provide, coordinate, and facilitate all the necessary medical, behavioral, social, and educational services. Treatment is deterrence in the setting of fetal alcohol syndrome.

• Most of our data come from animal models and associations with alcohol exposure.
• Alcohol in the mother’s blood passes to the baby through the umbilical cord.
• However, if your child has problems with learning and behavior, talk with his or her doctor so that the underlying cause might be identified.
• In terms of neural development, which occurs throughout pregnancy, it is often the inter-neuron connections that are damaged.
• Less research has been undertaken relating to clinical management.