Open AccessScreening, Diagnosing and Prevention of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Is This Syndrome Treatable
Author(s) -
Siti Mariam Ismail,
Sarah J. Buckley,
R. Budacki,
Asifa Abdul Jabbar,
G. Ian Gallicano
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
developmental neuroscience
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.893
H-Index - 82
eISSN - 1421-9859
pISSN - 0378-5866
DOI - 10.1159/000313339
Subject(s) - fetal alcohol syndrome , fetal alcohol , medicine , fetus , prenatal alcohol exposure , alcohol , adverse effect , pregnancy , physiology , biology , genetics , biochemistry
Prenatal alcohol exposure can lead to a wide range of adverse effects on a developing fetus. As a whole, these teratogenic outcomes are generally known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, the most severe of which is fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). Clinically, children diagnosed with FAS vary greatly in their presentation of symptoms, likely due to the amount of alcohol and timing of exposure, as well as maternal and genetic influences. All these factors play a role in determining the mechanisms through which alcohol damages a developing brain, the details of which are still largely unknown. However, continuing research and recent developments have provided promising results that may lead to screening mechanisms and treatment therapies for children with FAS. Here we review the teratogenic effects of alcohol, strategies for detecting maternal alcohol consumption, identification of fetal biological markers, and prevention methods for FAS.