Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS)

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a group of abnormalities that occur in babies born to mothers who consume alcohol during pregnancy. It is the most common known non-genetic (in other words, non-inherited) cause of mental retardation in the United States. It is estimated that as many as three babies in 1,000 will have FAS. However, the rate may be three times higher in some groups of people.

Fetal alcohol syndrome includes a characteristic group of physical defects, including small head and brain and facial abnormalities, as well as defects in other organs.

Many drugs can pass from a mother's blood stream through the placenta to the fetus. Alcohol is no exception. Alcohol is broken down more slowly in the immature body of the fetus than in an adult's body. This can cause the alcohol levels to remain high and stay in your baby's body longer.

The full picture of FAS usually occurs in babies born to alcoholic mothers, or those who drink more than four to five drinks each day. However, no amount of alcohol is safe. Even light or moderate drinking can affect the developing fetus.

Alcohol use in pregnancy has significant effects on the fetus and your baby.

• Dependence and addiction to alcohol in the mother also cause the fetus to become addicted. At birth, your baby's dependence on alcohol continues. But since the alcohol is no longer available, your baby's central nervous system becomes overstimulated causing the symptoms of withdrawal. Alcohol withdrawal may begin within a few hours after a baby's birth and symptoms may last up to 18 months.
• Babies with FAS often have specific deformities of the head and face, heart defects, and mental retardation.

Most often, FAS is diagnosed based on the mother's history and the appearance of your baby, based on a physician examination by a physician.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) designated specific drugs for treating the symptoms of withdrawal from alcohol in babies. However, it's important to note that there is no treatment for life-long birth defects and retardation. Babies and children with alcohol-related damage often need developmental follow-up and, possibly, long-term treatment and care.

The Outpatient Psychiatry Service at Boston Children's Hospital works with children and adolescents to determine if psychoactive medication would be an effective tool in their psychiatric treatment. We see thousands of patients every year. Our team sees children with a wide range of psychiatric conditions, including mood and anxiety disorders, problems with impulse control and developmental disorders and psychosis, which are sometimes brought on by FAS.

Meanwhile, our team is at the forefront of FAS research. A study using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans suggests that prenatal exposure to cocaine, alcohol, marijuana or tobacco (alone or in combination) may have effects on a baby's brain structure that persists into the child's early adolescence. The findings are of public health significance, since it's estimated that more than 1 million babies born annually in the United States have been exposed to at least one of these things in utero.

Boston Children’s Hospital’s Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center (IDDRC) is one of 20 research centers around the country dedicated to the study of mental retardation and developmental disabilities, with the goal translating basic research into improved care approaches. Our scientists are studying fetal alcohol syndrome and the impact of environmental factors in the etiology, treatment, and prevention of mental retardation and developmental disabilities.