OCR Text |
Show Officials concerned with FAS The Utah Department of Health, views Fetal Acholol Syndrome (FAS) as a major public health concern. According to the Centers for Disease Control, FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation and birth defects in the nation; it is also preventable. Clinical studies have shown that heavy use of alcohol by pregnant women may result in a pattern of abnormalities called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Children with FAS may show a wide range of disabilities. The most consistent features include in-clude a decreased weight, height and head size; impairment of intellectual in-tellectual and motor functions; and abnormal facial characteristics. The number of children in the United States with FAS is not known. The overall prevalence appears to be in the range of 1-2 per 1,000 births, based on both American and European studies. Of course, the prevalence varies widely, depending on the location and population under study. As might be expected, estimates of FAS prevalence among babies born to women identified as problem drinkers or alcohol abusers are higher, ranging from 23 to 29 per 1,000. "If we use these national estimates, Utah has the potential for 40 FAS babies annually because we have 40,000 births per year," says Dr. Peter C. van Dyck, director, Division of Family Health Services, Utah Department of Health. "I'd say that we have less than 10 cases identified per year in Utah. It is a very difficult syndrome to diagnose. So many of the problems being associated with FAS can be attributed to other causes as well," he said. FAS is preventable. A national survey of 4,405 married mothers who delivered babies in 1980 found that 30 of women who drank before pregnancy slopped drinking while pregnant. Some pregnant women spontaneously reduce their alcohol consumption for physiological reasons. It is also likely that pregnant women will reduce or stop drinking if they are made aware of the adverse ad-verse effects of alcohol on their babies. Evidence indicates that women who reduce or stop drinking before, and possibly even during, pregnancy increases their chances of delivering babies of normal birth weight. . The effects of mild to moderate-alcohol moderate-alcohol consumption are uncertain; also uncertain are the critical periods during pregnancy - from conception to delivery -- when the fetus is at risk. |