Birth Defect: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
This birth defect manifests itself in a cluster of different but related problems due to the exposure to alcohol during fetal development. The cluster of problems may be referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a birth defect that is the result of maternal drinking of alcoholic beverages during the pregnancy. It is a preventable birth defect in that pregnant women who avoid consuming alcohol can prevent this particular birth defect from occurring.
All fetuses of pregnant women who drink alcohol while pregnant are at risk for fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
The effects of FAS are irreversible and can include mental and behavioral problems. There are as many as 40,000 babies born each year in the United States who are diagnosed with FAS.
Symptoms of FAS:
This birth defect manifests itself in a cluster of different but related problems due to the exposure to alcohol during fetal development. The cluster of problems may be referred to as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD).
Fetal alcohol syndrome is a leading cause of mental retardation and yet it is preventable and to this day is still ranking the most prevalent cause of mental retardation - a truly dismaying statement.
Symptoms:
Small eyes, very thin upper lip and a short turned up nose
Heart defects
Deformity of joints, limbs and fingers
Delayed physical growth before birth and after birth
Baby Birth DefectsPhenylketonuria is rare, but it still needs to be tested for because left untreated, serious health problems can result.
Symptoms:
Mental retardation
Behavioral or social problems
Jerking, tremors or seizures in the arms or legs
Rocking motions
Hyperactivity
Stunted growth
Skin rashes
Small head size (microcephaly)
Vomiting
Musty breath, skin or urine, which is caused by too much phenylalanine in the body.
Fair skin and blue eyes
Those children with "classic PKU", which is the severest form, usually develop obvious and permanent mental retardation and behavioral problems before their first birthday.
There is also mild and moderate forms of PKU. These children have a smaller risk for brain damage.
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Vision difficulties
Hearing difficulties
Small head circumference
Small brain size (microcephaly)
Mental retardation
Delayed development
Short attention span
Hyperactivity
Poor impulse control
Extreme nervousness and anxiety
Physicians may use other terms to describe the symptoms of FAS such as: Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) which refers to the mental and behaviorl impairments experienced as a result of exposure to alcohol during fetal development and alcohol-related birth defects (ARBDs) which refer to the physical defects that occur as a result of FAS.
What causes FAS?
When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it enters her bloodstream, crosses over through the placenta into the baby's bloodstream. The unborn baby has a much slower metabolism than its mom and thus the alcohol concentrations are higher. The alcohol will impair the optimal nutrition for the baby's developing tissues and organs and can even damage brain cells. The risk increases the more alcohol the mom consumes. Impairment to the developing baby includes facial features, organs including the heart, bones, the central nervous system and the brain. The most damage can be done during the first trimester when some women may not even know that they are pregnant. Brain damage can be done at any stage of pregnancy.
Drinking alcohol during pregnancy can lead to birth defects and it can cause miscarriage. Women who can conceive, suspect they may be pregnant or are pregnant should not consume any alcohol. The more alcohol consumed the higher the risk for birth defects.
Today's News About Birth Defects
07/02/2008
Boy born with heart outside chest (12 News Phoenix)
A toddler from Trinidad with a rare birth defect has come to Miami in the hope of finding help. The International Kids Fund launched a campaign Tuesday to pay for surgery for 20-month-old Adrian Raheal.
Boy born with heart outside chest (12 News Phoenix)
07/05/2008
The Truth Behind the Number One Birth Defect in America: Congenital Heart Defects (Richfield Reaper)
(ARA) - Anytime a baby is born healthy, it is to be celebrated.
The Truth Behind the Number One Birth Defect in America: Congenital Heart Defects (Richfield Reaper)
07/04/2008
Birth defect is linked to STDs and infection (Deseret Morning News)
Young women who have both a sexually transmitted disease and a urinary tract infection just before or early in their pregnancy are four times more likely to have a baby born with intestines and other organs outside the abdomen, according to a study by University of Utah researchers.
Birth defect is linked to STDs and infection (Deseret Morning News)
07/04/2008
Birth defect is linked to STDs and infection (Deseret Morning News)
Young women who have both a sexually transmitted disease and a urinary tract infection just before or early in their pregnancy are four times more likely to have a baby born with intestines and other organs outside the abdomen, according to a study by University of Utah researchers.
Birth defect is linked to STDs and infection (Deseret Morning News)
07/02/2008
Who's saying what about gay and lesbian issues (Metro Weekly)
"She had a birth defect, and we call it that. I can't think of a worse birth defect, as a woman, than to have a penis ."
Who's saying what about gay and lesbian issues (Metro Weekly)
07/02/2008
Boy born with heart outside chest (12 News Phoenix)
A toddler from Trinidad with a rare birth defect has come to Miami in the hope of finding help. The International Kids Fund launched a campaign Tuesday to pay for surgery for 20-month-old Adrian Raheal.
Boy born with heart outside chest (12 News Phoenix)
07/04/2008
From the cradle to the grave across generations (The Herald)
Dr John Robertson told his son, Robbie, never to become a GP, but he ignored him. In turn, Dr Robbie Robertson warned his daughter, Fiona, the job was tough and stressful, yet she, too, followed him into practice.
From the cradle to the grave across generations (The Herald)
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