Prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders among the general and Aboriginal populations in Canada and the United States

Abstract

Prenatal alcohol exposure may cause a number of health complications for the mother and developing fetus, including Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). This study aimed to estimate the pooled prevalence of i) alcohol use (any amount) and binge drinking (4 or more standard drinks on a single occasion) during pregnancy, and ii) Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and FASD among the general and Aboriginal populations in Canada and the United States, based on the available literature. Comprehensive systematic literature searches and meta-analyses, assuming a random-effects model, were conducted. It was revealed that about 10% and 15% of pregnant women in the general population consume alcohol in Canada and the United States, respectively, and that about 3% of women engage in binge drinking during pregnancy in both countries. However, the prevalence of alcohol use during pregnancy in the Aboriginal populations of the United States and Canada were found to be approximately 3-4 times higher, respectively, compared to the general population. Even more alarmingly, it was estimated that approximately one in five women in the Aboriginal populations in both countries engage in binge drinking during pregnancy. Further, among the general population of Canada, the pooled prevalence was estimated to be about 1 per 1000 for FAS and 5 per 1000 for FASD. However, compared to the general population, the prevalence of FAS and FASD among the Aboriginal population in Canada was estimated to be 38 times and 16 times higher, respectively. With respect to the United States, the pooled prevalence of FAS and FASD was estimated to be about 2 per 1000 and 15 per 1,000, respectively, among the general population, and 4 per 1000 and 10 per 1,000, respectively, among the Aboriginal population. The FAS and FASD pooled prevalence estimates presented here should be used with caution due to the limited number of existing studies and their methodological limitations. Based on the results of the current study, it is evident that there is an urgent need for implementing more effective national prevention and surveillance strategies to monitor and lower the prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy and FASD.

Prenatal and postnatal alcohol exposure increases vulnerability to cocaine addiction in adult mice

“…It is estimated that, globally, 9.8% of pregnant women consume alcohol, with the highest prevalence in Europe (25.2%), according to the World Health Organization (Popova, Lange, Probst, Gmel, & Rehm, 2018). Furthermore, approximately 3% of women reported to have engaged in a binge pattern of alcohol consumption during gestation (Popova, Lange, Probst, Parunashvili, & Rehm, 2017).…”

Maternal iron nutriture as a critical modulator of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder risk in alcohol-exposed pregnancies

“…Global rates of gestational drinking are similar. Rates of drinking in regions of Canada may be higher, especially in Aboriginal populations (Popova et al 2017). Gestational ID and low iron stores remain common in women across the socioeconomic spectrum, and it may not be coincidental that populations with exceptional rates of FASD have high rates of ID and poor nutrient intakes (Camaschella 2015; May et al 2016).…”

Prenatal alcohol exposure enhances the susceptibility to NMDA‐induced generalized tonic‐clonic seizures in developing rats

“…In the United States, 10%‐45% of women reported drinking alcohol at some time point during pregnancy, of which an alarming 3%‐15% reported binge drinking . Evidence indicates that binge drinking is associated with the increased susceptibility to develop seizures and epilepsy .…”