Fetal alcohol syndrome

North Dakota, Fargo - Report by Lillian. Today, we will give information about Fetal alcohol syndrome .

Alcohol is a teratogen. A teratogen is an agent that can cause malformations of the embryo or fetus. heavy drinking continues during pregnancy causes fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). FAS is the leading cause of mental retardation recognized. When pregnant women drink during pregnancy, alcohol door to all the organs, tissues, and passes through the membrane and fetal blood systems. For this reason, the alcohol goes directly to the fetus and all its tissues and developing organs. The amount of the alcohol concentration in the fetus is the same amount, or sometimes more, as mothers. The liver of an adult can treat alcohol at the rate of one ounce every two hours, while the liver of the fetus are not able to treat alcohol as quickly. Sometimes it takes almost twenty-four hours.

Not all women who drink during pregnancy give birth to children with FAS, even those who drank frequently. Some children who are born to alcoholic mothers seems to be normal as a child, but develop physical, intellectual and psychological problems as they grow, due to the exposure of alcohol as a fetus. According to most studies, there is no such thing as a safe amount of alcohol consumption.

The effects of alcohol on children vary every quarter. The first trimester is the most critical step. The earlier the exposure, the greater the risk for FAS. In the second quarter, miscarriage is a huge risk. In the third trimester, the fetus usually experiences a rapid growth and substantial growth. The mother's alcohol consumption could affect the growth of the child. This is also the time when the most important part of brain development occurs. According to research, the brain and central nervous system are most at risk during the third quarter

Children born with fetal alcohol syndrome develop symptoms such as :. Low birth weight, small head size, narrow eye slits, midface flat, nasal low ridge, groove loss between the nose and upper lip, muscle problems, bone and joint problems, genital malformations, heart defects and kidney malformations.

In addition to the physical, FAS also affects the central nervous system system. sleep disturbances, agitation, irritability, and learning disabilities.

FAS also affects the behavior of the child, causing behavioral impairments. One of the effects of behavioral traits by FAS is verbal learning of the child. The child has difficulty with language and memory. Studies have shown that children and adolescents with FAS have learned fewer words than normal, but were able to recall the information learned. SAF learning problems occur during the early stages of memory formation. Once the training is completed, verbal information can be recalled and subjected to normal rates of forgetting. This helps distinguish FAS from Down syndrome.

Another behavioral trait with FAS is visuospatial learning. The child poor learning space capabilities. For example, if the child was to remove an object from somewhere, it would be very difficult to put the object to its original place.

The loss of value following behavior is attention. Attention problems occur most often due to prenatal exposure. In many cases, FAS is often confused with the disorder lack of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and treated incorrectly. Children with ADHD have difficulty focusing and sustaining attention over time, while children with FAS have difficulty moving their attention from one task to another.

The child processes the information slower than the average child did. The brain processes information slower, less effective.

All children with FAS have mental retardation. A recent study showed that sixty-one adolescents and adults with FAS revealed IQ scores with a range of 20 to 105 with an average of 68. Fifty-eight percent of these people had an IQ score seventy or below.

there is no cure for FAS, but the question is, can it be treated? Birth defects related to alcohol consumption are permanent. Surgery can repair some physical problems, and school programs can improve the mental and physical development.

How can FAS be prevented? Research has shown that pregnant women stop or reduce their drinking if they are aware of the harmful effects of alcohol on their infants. However, the best way to prevent fetal alcohol syndrome is not to drink alcohol during part of pregnancy. Even small amounts of alcohol can cause FAS.

Mia Pleasant

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