Alcohol consumption during pregnancy

Abstract

Looking at the history of humankind, the harmful effects caused by alcohol use among pregnant women is a problem recognized in several instances. Aristotle himself, in the 4 th century BC, warned about them: "Drunken women most often bring forth children like unto themselves, morose and languid...". During the epidemic in 1700, with gin consumption in London, fetal, newborn, and infant mortality increased sharply among floppy and hypotonic cases.However, the early medical descriptions published regarding the effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol (PEA) were the work of two French pediatricians, Jacqueline Rouquette (1957) and Paul Lemoine (1968). 1 In spite of this, most articles about this topic mention Smith and Jones as those who first described and defined, in 1973, "fetal alcohol syndrome" (FAS). 2 To date, this definition has not significantly changed and encompasses three typical aspects: characteristic facial features, pre-and post-natal growth deficiencies, and neurodevelopmental and behavioral alterations. Since then and so far, approximately 17 000 scientific articles have been published that have helped to establish a broad range of effects that depend on alcohol doses consumed during pregnancy. Such broad range of physical, neurocognitive, and behavioral effects related to PEA has been referred to as "fetal alcohol spectrum disorder" (FASD). FAS is the most severe presentation of FASD. [1][2][3] FASD is considered a major public health problem worldwide that has been barely included in health policy planning, pre-and postgraduate training, and medical practice in our country. Specifically, in perinatology and pediatrics, it is little recognized and diagnosed although a child's and their family's quality of life depends on its detection and a timely intervention. FASD currently represents the leading preventable congenital cause of intellectual disability in the Western world. 4 I n 2 0 1 0 , S e r g i o E v r a r d , M . D . , d i d a n excellent review on this subject published in Archivos Argentinos de Pediatría by describing the characteristics typical of FAS and FASD. 1 This article provides details about the basic requirements for the diagnosis of both of the above-mentioned conditions. The criteria have been refined in subsequent publications, which