Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS): Symptoms, Causes And Treatment
A healthy lifestyle for the mother throughout pregnancy is essential to guarantee the correct development of the fetus and good quality of health for the baby. Therefore, certain toxic habits such as alcohol and tobacco can cause serious complications in the child’s growth.
In the case of alcoholic habits or behaviors, consuming this type of beverage can have serious consequences. such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) Throughout this article, we will talk about its characteristics and symptoms, as well as its diagnosis and possible treatment.
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a condition that It is categorized within fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) This spectrum refers to a group of diseases or conditions that can appear in those cases in which the mother consumed certain amounts of alcohol during pregnancy, causing a series of physical and mental consequences in the baby.
These disorders are characterized by presenting a series of physical, mental, behavioral and cognitive anomalies in those babies who suffer from them since the alcohol consumed by the mother is transferred to the child’s bloodstream.
In the specific case of fetal alcohol syndrome, this is considered the most serious or harmful condition within the entire spectrum of alterations or anomalies caused by exposure to alcohol during the stage of fetal development, without taking into account the fetal death itself. due to alcoholism.
Babies diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome often have a series of pathological physical features such as deformation of facial features alterations in growth or problems in the development of the central nervous system.
These irregularities in the fetal growth process have as their main psychological consequence the appearance of difficulties in learning and alterations in memory processes, communication capacity, attention, as well as sensory difficulties at a visual or auditory level. The alterations also pose a risk of social exclusion for these children, since school and integration problems are usually common.
Regarding the incidence of this syndrome, exposure of the fetus to certain levels of alcohol It is the main cause of intellectual functional diversity in developed countries far above genetic alterations.
What symptoms does it present?
As described above, fetal alcohol syndrome is distinguished by presenting a series of symptoms, both physical or visible, as well as organic or related to the neurological development of the baby
The clinical picture of APS is classified into three different groups of symptoms. Those related to craniofacial anomalies, alterations in the central nervous system and a delay in general development.
1. Craniofacial anomalies
There are a number of characteristic physical features that distinguish children with a diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome. These are:
2. Alterations of the central nervous system
Problems or abnormalities in the development of the central nervous system can manifest to different degrees, depending on the amount of alcohol to which the fetus has been exposed. These damages can be divided into three different planes:
3. Generalized developmental delay
It manifests itself in the form of pathologies related to the weight and size of the baby. Which tend to be below the average for children born healthy.
The main and only cause of fetal alcohol syndrome is found in alcohol consumption by the mother throughout pregnancy The alcohol present in drinks can pass into the bloodstream of the fetus through the placenta, causing all types of interference and alterations in its development.
Although it has not yet been possible to establish in a reliable way at what level of consumption the first symptoms appear, it has been determined that the greater the amount of alcohol consumed by the mother, the greater the number of, and more serious, symptoms it will cause in the baby. .
In the same way, The stage of pregnancy in which consumption occurs is also decisive since consuming alcoholic beverages during the first trimester is even more dangerous than doing so at any other stage.
How can it be diagnosed?
In cases where the medical professional suspects the possibility of fetal alcohol syndrome, there are a series of tests that can be carried out to confirm the diagnosis :
Evaluation of the condition of the heart that reveals any cardiac abnormality.
Testing the mother’s blood alcohol levels, whenever she shows signs of intoxication.
Neuroimaging tests such as CT scans or MRIs after the baby is born.
Ultrasound tests during pregnancy
Is there a treatment?
Because the injuries caused to the baby are permanent and irreversible, it has not been possible to develop a treatment with the ability to reverse these symptoms. However, the prognosis or intensity of treatment will depend on the severity of the symptoms.
As a consequence, the intervention protocol is usually limited to the treatment of cognitive symptoms such as lack of attention or special educational needs, in order to facilitate the child’s school and social adjustment and, as a consequence, improve their quality of life as much as possible. life.
