HEARING DISORDERS – PART OF FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME

Georgiana Russu,Alexandra Grosu,Cristina Rusu

doi:10.37897/rjp.2016.2.4

Abstract

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) (1-2/1000 newborns), resulting from maternal consumption of alcohol early in the pregnancy, consists in: persistent growth failure, low weight, microcephaly, characteristic facial features, congenital heart diseases (especially septal defects), minor anomalies of joints and limbs, disorders of central nervous system development and function. The complexity, severity and frequency of the anomalies depends on the amount of the ingested alcohol associated or not with other risk factors: low socio-economic level, psychologic disturbances, smoking, drugs. Hearing disorders determined by maternal alcohol consumption, although not classically included in the FAS, and also chronic ear infections, are associated in variable severity degrees. Audiologic procedures performed in FAS children revealed four main hearing disorders: delayed development of auditory function associated with language disorders, sensorineural hearing loss (disorders of middle ear and conductive system), intermittent loss of sound vibrations conduction, hearing loss by central auditory nervous system deficits. Early detection of hearing anomalies alleviates the prognosis by early interventions.

Highlights

The teratogenic effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy were described for the first time in the medical literature almost 5 decades ago [1]
Jones and Smith in 1973 coined the term fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) to denote a pattern of birth defects and developmental delays observed in children borned to alcoholic mothers [2]
In USA the frequency of FAS is estimated at 1-2/1.000 stillborn, while in areas with high risk, like some communities in South Africa, the study of pediatric population revealed an incidence of 4-5% among the preschool children [3]

Summary

Introduction

The teratogenic effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy were described for the first time in the medical literature almost 5 decades ago [1]. In USA the frequency of FAS is estimated at 1-2/1.000 stillborn, while in areas with high risk, like some communities in South Africa, the study of pediatric population revealed an incidence of 4-5% among the preschool children [3]. Noticed that alterations in the levels of specific circulating miRNAs have been associated with various disease states and in animal models of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder and published the results in aprilie 2016.

Results

Conclusion