Fetal abnormalities alcohol-related

And the prevalence of alcohol-related fetal abnormalities The incidence of FASD in the United States is currently approximately 1 per 100 live births.22 This means that this disorder may affect about 1 percent (3 million children and adults) of the total American population and occurs more often than Down syndrome and spina bifida combined. The U.S. prevalence rate of the more severe form, FAS, is much less, ranging from about 5 to 50 per 10,000 live births, depending on geographic location and ethnic group.23 Blacks and American Indians have the... 

Abel, Ernest L. Fetal Alcohol Abuse Syndrome. New York Plenum Press, 1998. Describes the causes and consequences of fetal alcohol syndrome, including pregnancy-related problems (such as spontaneous abortion), birth defects, and neurological abnormalities. There is also discussion of how to diagnose the condition and how to estimate its prevalence. 

Children exposed prenatally to alcohol most frequently present with attentional deficits and hyperactivity, even in the absence of intellectual deficits or craniofacial abnormalities. Furthermore, attentional problems have been observed in the absence of hyperactivity, suggesting that the two phenomena are not necessarily related. Fetal alcohol exposure also has been identified as a risk factor for alcohol abuse by adolescents. Apart from the risk of FAS or FAEs to the child, the intake of high amounts of alcohol by a pregnant woman, particularly during the first trimester, greatly increases the chances of spontaneous abortion. 

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