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Study Theme 1: Pregnancy and Nutrition
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
Foetal Alcohol Syndrome
 A cluster of physical, behavioural and cognitive abnormalities associated with prenatal alcohol exposure
 Specific pattern of facial features (malformations)
 Pre- and/or postnatal growth deficiency
 Evidence of central nervous system dysfunction
Drinking Alcohol while Pregnant
 Most severe damage around the time of conception – women often do not yet realize that they are pregnant
 Two way affect:
o Malnutrition – not consuming food
o Intoxication – alcohol is a toxin
 Alcohol diffuses directly into foetus blood through the placenta
 Interferes with the orderly development of tissues during their critical development stages – reducing of cells
and damaging those present
 When alcohol crosses the placenta the foetal blood-alcohol rises until reach equilibrium with mother – mother
might not even feel anything, but foetus may be poisoned
 Foetus detoxification system is immature – alcohol remains in foetal blood long after it has been removed
from mothers blood
Symptoms in a New-born
 Alcohol withdrawal symptoms
o Irritability
o Tagipnoea – increased respiration
o Hypertonia – almost spastic
o Excessive crying
o Overemphasized mouth movements
o Disrupted sleeping patterns
o CNS abnormalities
Clinical Signs
 Growth retardation
o Length, weight, head circumference
o Failure to thrive
o Genetically potential – potential to grow limited
Cranio-facial Characteristics
 Eye area
o Small eyes, short eyelid openings, prominent folds, squint and downward replacement of eyelid
 Mid-face
o Poor shape and a short upturned nose
 Mouth Area
o Maxillary reduction, split palate, philtrum poorly developed, a thin upper lip and small teeth with
faulty enamel
 Ear area
o Poor developed outer ear, posterior rotation of ears and asymmetrical ears
Neurological Developmental Problems
 Mental retardation, generally low IQ (=70), epilepsy, spasticity / hypotonia, behavioural problems and speech
problems

Congenital Abnormalities
 Non-typical, although indicative
 Congenital heart disease
 Skeletal defects
 Abnormal palm patterns
 Absence of genitalia
Symptoms
 Symptoms diminish over time, but FAS children continue to be short and underweight – and always live with
the consequences of prenatal brain damage
1
...
Heavy prenatal alcohol exposure causes microcephaly and disproportionate reductions in the corpus
callosum, basal ganglia, and cerebellum
3
...
The point
is that the models appear to be valid for studying FAS
How much alcohol is too much?
 Mother does not need an alcohol drinking problem
to give birth to a baby with FAS
 Need only to drink in excess of her livers ability to metabolize alcohol
 Even one drink a day threatens the neurological development (PEA)
 4 Drinks per day dramatically increases the risk for infant physical malformations
 Drinking patterns also important (binging poses a risk of exposing the foetus to toxic amounts)
When the damage is done
 During T1: Malformations
 During T2: Increased risk for spontaneous abortions and growth retardation
 During T3: Body and brain growth retarded

The father’s alcohol intake
 Animal studies found males consuming alcohol prior to conception: smaller litter size, LBW, reduced survival
rates, impaired learning ability of the offspring
 Farther alcohol intake 1 month before conception also proved to influence BW



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