Foetal Alcohol Syndrome

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What is Foetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a pattern of abnormalities with a child caused by exposure of alcohol to a foetus (an unborn baby, still in the womb). Alcohol is known to be what is called a 'teratogen'. A teratogen is something from outside the body that can cause problems with the unborn baby. When drunk, the alcohol gets into the mother's blood and crosses via the placenta (the connection between mother and baby) into the baby's blood. Here it can cause problems with the normal growth pattern of the baby. It is often associated with the problem of alcoholism in a mother.

There are several things which define FAS:

Changes in appearance such as small eyes and flat lips.
Problems with growth resulting in a smaller baby.
Brain involvement resulting in poor learning ability, incoordination and even aggressiveness.

It is not known how much alcohol is needed to cause problems with the baby, and so it is generally recommended that no alcohol be drunk during pregnancy, or at least that the amount of alcohol be very low. Having drunk a lot of alcohol during pregnancy does not mean that a baby will be born with FAS. Every woman is different and the effect that alcohol has on the baby can not be worked out easily before birth.

Who gets Foetal Alcohol Syndrome?

FAS is quite a common problem, and is the number one cause of intellectual disability that is not caused by genetic problems. It is also hard to know the exact number of children with FAS. In Western Australia, there is unfortunately a very large difference between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal children, but this is thought to be due to social situation rather than race. The rates are:

Non-Aboriginal Children: 0.02/1000
Aboriginal Children: 2.76/1000

Across the world, the number of children reported to be born with FAS is between 0.5-5/1000 births depending on the country. It is also very different in different parts of each country and can be hard to accurately get the numbers on.

Predisposing Factors

Foetal alcohol syndrome The only thing that predisposes a child to having FAS is alcohol consumption during pregnancy. Unfortunately, the time when the child is most at risk is early in the pregnancy, even before the woman's first period is missed. This can mean that damage is being done without the mother even knowing it. The level of damage done to the unborn child depends on the amount of alcohol drunk. The more alcohol that is drunk during pregnancy the more severe the effects. It also is not known what the lower limit of safe alcohol consumption is, or whether there is a cut off level where it is okay.

Progression

A child born with FAS may:

Be born small.
Have problems eating and sleeping.
Have problems seeing and hearing.
Have trouble following directions and learning how to do simple things.
Have trouble paying attention and learning in school.
Have trouble getting along with others and controlling their behavior.
Need medical care all their lives.
Need special teachers and schools.

A child with FAS can struggle in many areas of life without adequate help. Other than their difference in appearance, there are other less obvious problems, mostly affecting the brain. Children with FAS usually have slightly lower IQs than other children, with a greater reduction in those whose parents drank more. They have problems with learning and attention and this can lead to antisocial behaviour and aggressiveness. As little as one drink a day can lead to an increase in aggressiveness in children aged six to seven. FAS can even lead to Attention Deficit Disorder when the children reach their teens.

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