Estimation of national, regional, and global prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy and fetal alcohol syndrome: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (no external funding was sought).

The Unifying Effects of Maternal-Placental-Fetal Axis Dysregulation on Neurodevelopment Following Infectious and Toxic In Utero Insults

“…The global prevalence of alcohol use in pregnancy is estimated to be 9.8% (172,173). Like ZIKV and opioid use in pregnancy, prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) is an expansive public health problem.…”

“…The impact of PAE is devastating, and is the principle cause of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (177)(178)(179). FAS in the general population is estimated at 14.6 per 10,000 people, and it is projected that 1 in every 67 women who consume alcohol during pregnancy will deliver a child with FAS (172). Indeed, FAS is a disabling potential outcome of drinking during pregnancy, and is the most severe and visibly identifiable form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) (172,(180)(181)(182)(183).…”

“…FAS in the general population is estimated at 14.6 per 10,000 people, and it is projected that 1 in every 67 women who consume alcohol during pregnancy will deliver a child with FAS (172). Indeed, FAS is a disabling potential outcome of drinking during pregnancy, and is the most severe and visibly identifiable form of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) (172,(180)(181)(182)(183). Representing a multitude of behavioral and cognitive disorders (174,180,184), the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) estimates that 2-5% of first grade students suffer from a combination of deficits associated with FASD (174,176).…”

Pregnant Women Never Drink Alone (Part 1)

“…According to the article, sufficient evidence had accrued to demonstrate unequivocally that alcohol pregnancy produced a recognizable pattern of foetal malformation, which should be identified medically as 'Foetal Alcohol Syndrome' (FAS). [11][12][13][14] Since the publication of this seminal paper, a vast amount of literature has accumulated to establish scientifically the deleterious effects on the foetus caused by alcohol consumption. By 1981, clinical characteristics of FAS had formally been documented to include the following symptoms:…”

Neuropsychological Aspects of Prevention and Intervention for FASD: International Perspectives

“…A recent meta-analysis estimated the global prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy at 9.8% (Popova et al 2017). Regional variation is notable with the highest prevalence in the World Health Organization (WHO) European region (25.2%) and lowest in the Eastern Mediterranean (0.2%) and Southeast Asian (1.8%) regions; rates in the remaining regions ranged from 8.6 to 11.2%.…”