Fetal alcohol syndrome

Disease	Injury	Nutrition	Poison

Special Topic	Surgery	Symptoms	Test

The face

Fetal alcohol syndrome

Alternative Names:

Alcohol in pregnancy; At risk for fetal alcohol syndrome; Drinking alcohol during pregnancy

Symptoms:

Consumption of alcohol by a pregnant woman may be the first indicator of potential fetal alcohol syndrome.

Others:

Slow intrauterine and neonatal growth with occasional diagnosis of failure to thrive
Delayed development and evidence of mild to moderate mental retardation (IQ range from 50 to 85 with reported average in the mid 60s)
Facial abnormalities, skeletal (limb) abnormalities, tremor (in the newborn infant), agitation and crying (in the newborn infant)

Signs and tests:

Examination of the baby may show a heart murmur or other evidence of cardiac anomalies. As the baby grows, there may be evidence of delayed mental development.

Tests include:

Ultrasound, pregnancy; ultrasound can demonstrate the presence of intrauterine growth retardation
ECG (infant) echocardiogram (infant)
Blood alcohol level in pregnant women who exhibit signs of intoxication (see toxicology screen)

Review Date: 1/22/2002
Reviewed By: Philip L. Graham III, M.D., Department of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of New York, Columiba University, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

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