Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are a group of conditions that can occur in a person who was exposed to alcohol before birth, ranging in severity from full fetal alcohol syndrome down to milder alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder and neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure. Not every infant exposed to alcohol in the womb develops a detectable disorder, but risk rises with the amount, frequency, and pattern of drinking, particularly binge drinking, and no amount of alcohol during pregnancy has been shown to be safe. The disorders can produce growth deficiency, distinctive facial features, microcephaly, poor coordination, and lifelong difficulties with learning, speech, and behavior, including attention problems and intellectual disability. The condition is estimated to affect about 7.7 per 1,000 people globally, though it is widely considered underdiagnosed, and it is entirely preventable through abstaining from alcohol during pregnancy and while trying to conceive.