Effects of harmful factors and alcohol consumption by mother concerning the physical and mental health of her child

Background Mental retardation is a developmental disability that first appears at children under the age of 18. About 5% of the mentally retarded population is affected by severe mental retardation. Approximately 20% of the population with mental deficience presents moderate mental retardation and about 75% have mild mental retardation. A very important factor that cause mental retardation of child is the alcohol consumption by mother on the pregnancy period. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a group of birth defects occurring in an infant as a result of maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy. This syndrome was first described in 1968. It is currently the leading cause of mental retardation in western civilisation, outranking Down syndrome.