Fetal Alcohol Syndrome baby, symptoms, average, Definition, Description, Causes and symptoms, Diagnosis

When a pregnant person drinks alcohol, the alcohol enters the bloodstream and can reach the bloodstream of the developing fetus. Exposure to alcohol can affect the fetus’s growth and development. Fetal alcohol syndrome may occur in a child after birth if the mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy.

Behavioral Symptoms

• If you’ve consumed alcohol during pregnancy, talk to your healthcare provider.
• Using alcohol during pregnancy is the leading cause of preventable birth defects, developmental disabilities and learning disabilities.
• Physical symptoms include facial abnormalities such as a flat skin surface, a thin upper lip, a small eye opening, and no ridge formation between the nose and lips.
• When that happens, it can cause your ears to feel clogged or full.
• Healthcare providers use standardized criteria to assess prenatal alcohol exposure and its effects on the child’s development.
• FAS is a life-long condition that can’t be cured and can only be prevented by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy, which damages the developing fetus.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is entirely preventable by avoiding alcohol during pregnancy. Since alcohol use is the leading cause of preventable birth defects, developmental disabilities, and learning disabilities, it is crucial to abstain from alcohol if you are pregnant or could become pregnant. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has designated specific drugs for treating the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol in babies. However, there is no treatment for life-long birth defects and intellectual disability. Babies and children with alcohol-related damage often need developmental follow-up and, possibly, long-term treatment and care. Diagnosis of FASD should be considered based on the clinical presentation or suspicion of maternal alcohol exposure.

• Fetal alcohol syndrome is the most severe condition within a group of conditions called fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs).
• The prevalence of FAS varies globally, with estimates ranging from 0.5 to 2 cases per 1,000 live births.
• Often mothers who drink have poor eating habits that also affect the baby.
• However, drinking any amount of alcohol during pregnancy can potentially increase the risk of developmental delays and birth defects.
• Brain maturation can become prolonged, and aging can accelerate.

How can you treat clogged ears from COVID-19?

While some deformities of FAS may be evident through prenatal ultrasound, it is difficult to diagnose FAS during pregnancy. The diagnosis is not based on a single symptom, and mild cases may be difficult to diagnose. Some FAS cases may be similar to other conditions that have some of the same characteristics, which can make diagnosis very difficult. Dr. Katbamna is Professor of Audiology in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.

Mental and behavioural difficulties

The exact statistics of children born with fetal alcohol syndrome are unknown, but the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention estimates that it occurs at the rate of 0.2 to 1.5 cases per 1000 live births in some parts of the US. However, another study estimates that 0.5 to 2 cases of the syndrome occur in every 1000 live drunken baby syndrome births (2). Although there is no treatment for FAS, there are strategies that can improve its symptoms. If you are consuming alcohol and trying to become pregnant or you are currently pregnant, reach out to a healthcare provider for help quitting. If you think there could be a problem, ask your healthcare provider for a referral to a specialist (someone who knows about FASDs). Specialists could be a developmental pediatrician, child psychologist, or clinical geneticist.

Understanding FAS and having the support of professionals and other parents of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome children with FAS can help families cope with and manage the symptoms of FAS. Some steps parents can take to help manage behavior problems of FAS include implementing daily routines, creating and enforcing simple rules, using rewards for proper behavior, and encouraging decision-making in safe environments. The risk for potential fetal alcohol syndrome is established during the first prenatal visit. Pregnant women are questioned regarding behavioral risk factors, including illicit drug usage, alcohol consumption, smoking, and other high-risk behaviors.

• Consuming alcohol during pregnancy has multiple side effects on the fetal development.
• Infants and children with FAS have many different problems, which can be difficult to manage.
• Palpebral fissure length (PFL) was measured with a rigid ruler marked in millimeters.
• This is typically only recommended in cases where other treatments have failed and the symptoms are severe or long-lasting.

The traits most likely to persist are a thin upper lip and a smaller head circumference. Other helpful resources include Alcoholics Oxford House Anonymous (AA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMSHA). It’s important to understand that FASDs can result from occasional drinking as well. The risk of FASDs increases with the amount of alcohol consumed.

However, diagnosis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders can be difficult. FASD may present in childhood or early adulthood with mild social or intellectual concerns, or it can present with birth defects and growth problems during pregnancy. Although there is no precise cure for this condition, children with FAS may have a wide range of developmental abnormalities and health complications when undiagnosed and left untreated. Therefore, the best way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is by abstaining from consuming alcohol during pregnancy.

Legal Conditions and Terms

Children do best if they are diagnosed early and referred to a team of providers who can work on educational and behavioral strategies that fit the child’s needs. Pregnant women with alcohol use disorder should join a rehab program and be checked closely by their health care provider throughout their pregnancy. You’ll notice we use the term “woman,” “women,” and “mother” in this article. While we realize this term may not match your gender experience, it’s the term used by the researchers whose data was cited. FASDs are caused by alcohol use at any time during pregnancy, even before a woman knows they’re pregnant. Any alcohol — wine, beer, spirits, etc. — that gets into a mother’s blood can pass directly to the baby through the placenta and affect a baby’s development.