Abstract
Epidemiological and clinical data indicate that alcohol consumption during pregnancy remains a substantial public-health problem as many pregnant women continue to drink alcohol despite clinical recommendations and public health campaigns warning about the risks associated. It is well known that maternal ethanol consumption during pregnancy results in deleterious effects on the developing fetus. Among these effects is the so called Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a severe form of FASD and also an irreversible condition. Although all children born to alcoholic mothers show abnormalities, in some cases these may not be clearly observable. There is a wide spectrum of abnormalities regardless of the amount and pattern of alcohol exposure, differences in maternal, foetal and placental metabolism of ethanol/acetaldehyde, as well as genetic factors. In this article we present some of the effects of maternal alcoholism on placental functions and how it affects lung development
Highlights
Alcohol is one of the most common teratogenic agents and its uncontrolled consumption during pregnancy has been widely associated with adverse effects in the developing fetus, including premature birth, low birth weight, multiple birth defects, and neurodevelopmental disorders, collectively named Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder (FASD).There is a severe form of FASD, namely Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which is an irreversible condition
FASD is currently used to describe a lesser degree of deformities associated to FAS, sometimes unnoticeable except by close examination
Despite abundant public health campaigns and clinical recommendations about the risks associated with alcohol intake during pregnancy, many pregnant women continue to abuse alcohol consumption
Summary
Alcohol is one of the most common teratogenic agents and its uncontrolled consumption during pregnancy has been widely associated with adverse effects in the developing fetus, including premature birth, low birth weight, multiple birth defects, and neurodevelopmental disorders, collectively named Fetal Alcohol Spectrum disorder (FASD).There is a severe form of FASD, namely Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), which is an irreversible condition. This syndrome, first described by Jones and Smith [1], is characterized by intrauterine growth retardation (IUGR), a characteristic pattern of abnormal facial features, physical and mental retardation as well as important defects in cardiac and lung development. Despite abundant public health campaigns and clinical recommendations about the risks associated with alcohol intake during pregnancy, many pregnant women continue to abuse alcohol consumption
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