Establishing a unique neurobehavioural profile for people exposed to alcohol in utero would be a tremendous aid in diagnosis, treatment planning and epidemiological research. Epidemiological studies of fetal alcohol syndrome have shown that only one?third of the babies born to mothers who drank heavily during pregnancy presented with full-blown FAS. 2 Moreover, the majority of people who were e...

Background: Alcohol is a potent teratogen and alcohol use in pregnancy and the periconception period can cause many complications in mother, fetus and neonate.  Discussion: Alcohol in the mother's blood passes through the placenta to the baby through the umbilical cord. Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can cause miscarriage, stillbirth, and a range of lifelong disorders. Alcohol-related birth ...

OBJECTIVE The 4-Digit Diagnostic Code for fetal alcohol spectrum disorders and the Hoyme fetal alcohol spectrum disorders diagnostic guidelines differ markedly. The performances of the 2 diagnostic systems were compared. METHODS The fetal alcohol syndrome diagnostic criteria from the 4-Digit Code and Hoyme guidelines were applied to 952 patients who had received an interdisciplinary, fetal al...

Alcohol use among women of childbearing age is prevalent in the United States, with approximately 1 in 5 nonpregnant women reporting binge drinking (5 or more drinks on any one occasion) and 1 in 25 pregnant women reporting binge drinking. Alcohol use during pregnancy results in a spectrum of adverse outcomes known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is one of thes...