scholarly journals Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) among Children Adopted from Eastern European Countries: Russia and Ukraine

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 1388
Author(s):  
Joan Colom ◽  
Lidia Segura-García ◽  
Adriana Bastons-Compta ◽  
Marta Astals ◽  
Vicente Andreu-Fernandez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Neurodevelopmental Disorder ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
European Countries ◽  
Adopted Children ◽  
Eastern European ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Eastern European Countries ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a leading cause of neurodevelopmental disorders. Children adopted internationally from countries where alcohol consumption during pregnancy is very high are at greater risk for FASD. Lack of expertise in diagnosing FASD and mixed neurodevelopmental and behavioral signs due to abandonment complicate a timely diagnosis. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of FASD in adopted children. Children between the ages of 8 and 24 adopted from Russia and Ukraine were evaluated for clinical and historical features of FASD. Of the 162 children evaluated, 81 (50%) met FASD diagnostic criteria. Thirty-three (20.4%) children had fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), 28 (17.2%) had partial FAS, 2 (1.2%) had alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD) and 18 (11.1%) had alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). Of the 81 children in which fetal alcohol exposure could not be confirmed, many had manifestations that would have established a diagnosis of FASD if a history of maternal alcohol consumption was confirmed. In a population of children with a high risk of prenatal alcohol exposure (adoptees from Eastern European countries), at least 50% showed manifestations associated with FASD. The reported prevalence in this study is in line with the results obtained in a previous study as well as in orphanages of origin.

Knowing, Valuing and Acting: Relationships between information, attitudes and drinking during pregnancy / Saber, Valorar y Actuar: Relaciones entre información, actitudes y consumo de alcohol durante la gestación

2013 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mariana Beatriz López
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Accurate Information ◽  
Source Information ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Las Mujeres ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

El consumo de alcohol durante la gestación puede dar lugar a distintos problemas de diferentes niveles de severidad, englobados en la expresión Trastornos del Espectro Alcohólico Fetal. Hasta el momento no ha podido determinarse una dosis de alcohol segura durante la gestación, por lo cual la recomendación de distintos organismos nacionales e internacionales es la abstinencia. Sin embargo, la evidencia señala que aunque muchas mujeres tiene conocimiento de que el alcohol puede alterar el desarrollo del feto, la mayoría piensa que algún consumo durante la gestación es aceptable. A través de este estudio buscamos contribuir a la comprensión de las relaciones entre información, actitudes y consumo durante la gestación. Para ello, analizamos entrevistas semiestructuradas realizadas a mujeres puérperas en Argentina (n=641). El 70,4% de las mujeres manifestó haber recibido alguna información sobre un potencial efecto adverso del consumo de alcohol durante la gestación, pero pocas de ellas poseían información precisa y sólo el 6,1% mencionó a un profesional de la salud como fuente. La información y las actitudes se encontraron fuertemente vinculadas. Las actitudes se asociaron de modo significativo al consumo de alguna cantidad de alcohol durante la gestación y al consumo excesivo episódico durante ese período. AbstractDrinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to different problems with different levels of severity, encompassed by the term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders. Considering that a safe dose of alcohol during pregnancy has not been determined, the official recommendation of various national and international organizations is abstinence. However, the evidence indicates that although many women are aware that alcohol can alter fetal development, most of them believe that some consumption during pregnancy is acceptable. Through this study, we intend to contribute to the understanding of the relationship between knowledge, attitudes and drinking during pregnancy. To achieve this, we analyze semi structured interviews carried on with puerperal women in Argentina (n = 641). 70.4% of women reported having received some information about a potential adverse effect of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, but few of them had accurate information and only 6.1% mentioned a health professional as source. Information and attitudes were strongly linked. Attitudes were significantly associated to some alcohol consumption during pregnancy and to binge drinking during that period.

scholarly journals Language Development Disorder in Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD), a Case Study

Languages ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (4) ◽  
pp. 37
Author(s):  
Yuri E. Vega-Rodríguez ◽  
Elena Garayzabal-Heinze ◽  
Esther Moraleda-Sepúlveda
Keyword(s):  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders ◽  
Early Stage ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Foster Home ◽  
Language Development Disorder ◽  
Spectrum Disorders ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Prenatal alcohol exposure can cause developmental damage in children. There are different types and ranges of alterations that fall under the name of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). Disabilities in learning, cognition, and behavior are observed. Environmental conditions are an influencing factor in this population since they are generally adverse and are either not diagnosed at an early stage or given the appropriate support and approach. We present a case study of a 9-year-old child, in which all the variables affecting his development (FASD diagnosis and socioenvironmental conditions) were observed and analyzed. His early childhood under institutional care, the move to a foster home at the age of 6, and several measures of evaluation from foster care to the present are described. Difficulties in vocabulary, access to vocabulary, morphology, syntax, grammar, oral narrative, pragmatics, speech, and communication were observed, along with cognitive difficulties in memory, perception and executive functioning, social adaptation, learning, and behavior. An early diagnosis and approach enable this population to develop skills in different dimensions to address early adversity despite their neurological and behavioral commitment. Speech-language pathologist services are crucial for the diagnosis and treatment of the language and communication difficulties that characterize this syndrome.

scholarly journals Maternal iron nutriture as a critical modulator of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder risk in alcohol-exposed pregnancies

2018 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-212 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaylee K. Helfrich ◽  
Nipun Saini ◽  
Pamela J. Kling ◽  
Susan M. Smith
Keyword(s):  
Alcohol Consumption ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Iron Homeostasis ◽  
Maternal Nutrition ◽  
Premenopausal Women ◽  
Alcohol Exposure ◽  
Spectrum Disorder ◽  
Fetal Alcohol ◽  
Liver Iron ◽  
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum

Alcohol consumption during pregnancy places the fetus at risk for permanent physical, cognitive, and behavioral impairments, collectively termed fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD). However, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) outcomes vary widely, and growing evidence suggests that maternal nutrition is a modifying factor. Certain nutrients, such as iron, may modulate FASD outcomes. Untreated gestational iron deficiency (ID) causes persistent neurodevelopmental deficits in the offspring that affect many of the same domains damaged by PAE. Although chronic alcohol consumption enhances iron uptake and elevates liver iron stores in adult alcoholics, alcohol-abusing premenopausal women often have low iron reserves due to menstruation, childbirth, and poor diet. Recent investigations show that low iron reserves during pregnancy are strongly associated with a worsening of several hallmark features in FASD including reduced growth and impaired associative learning. This review discusses recent clinical and animal model findings that maternal ID worsens fetal outcomes in response to PAE. It also discusses underlying mechanisms by which PAE disrupts maternal and fetal iron homeostasis. We suggest that alcohol-exposed ID pregnancies contribute to the severe end of the FASD spectrum.

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