Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)
 
Prevalence in US: 0.2 – 1.4 per 1,000 live births
-     FAS is leading identifiable cause of mental retardation in US; the incidence of mental retardation due to FAS is greater than that of mental retardation due to Down Syndrome
-     More common in lower socioeconomic classes
-     Prevalence of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders is three times higher than that of FAS
 
 
Cause: alcohol in maternal circulation readily crosses placental barrier to enter fetal circulation where it interferes with normal development processes
 
 
Dosage: the severity of effects varies across individuals and depends on a variety of factors that effect peak blood alcohol levels for a given dose including but not limited to: genetic vulnerability; quantity, duration and timing during the pregnancy of the exposure; nutritional status; environmental factors; maternal age (> 40 years) and maternal metabolic rate among others.
 
 
(Constructed from data in Able, E.L. and Sokol, R.J. et al. Drug and Alc Dependence, 19: 51 – 70, 1987; Stratton, K. et al. Fetal Alc Syndrome, Ch. 2, 1996; National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Website and Seventh special report to the US congress on alcohol and health, 1990)
 
©2008 NBEP