Fetal Alcohol Syndrome - Research Paper Example

 Fetal alcohol syndrome Overview Fetal alcohol syndrome is a series of mental and physical defects that can develop in a fetus if a woman drinks an excessive amount of alcohol while she is pregnant. Though the amount of alcohol needed to cause fetal alcohol syndrome has yet to be determined, there are still no safe limits for alcohol consumption while pregnant. Fetal alcohol exposure is the leading known cause of intellectual disability in the Western World (Abel & Sokol, 1987). Furthermore, in the United States and Europe, the amount of children born with fetal alcohol syndrome is almost two babies in every one thousand. Cause Alcohol consumption is the main factor in a fetus developing fetal alcohol syndrome. When a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, the alcohol enters the bloodstream and reaches the fetus by crossing the placenta; anything that enters the woman’s body is passed along to the fetus, and alcohol is no different. However, fetuses are unable to metabolize alcohol as quickly as adults, thus making the fetus’s blood alcohol concentrate higher than that of the mother and more difficult to get rid of (Ulleland, 1972). Adults are able to rid themselves of alcohol within an hour for each beverage, yet fetuses do not have the ability to do so, so the alcohol sticks with them longer, often cause irreversible damage. Alcohol interferes with the oxygen being delivered to the unborn baby. It is common that babies face mental, behavioral and physical diseases and deformities when they are being denied the oxygen that they need to develop fully and healthily. This lack of oxygen greatly affects the nutrition of the baby’s developing tissues, organs and brain, often causing babies with fetal alcohol syndrome to be born premature or with a variety of diseases or deformities. Signs and symptoms Due to science and technology, a fetus still in the womb can be pre-diagnosed with fetal alcohol syndrome based on certain signs and symptoms; unfortunately, properly diagnosing the baby can only take place after the child has been born. The first major sign is a mother that drinks regularly while pregnant. Through ultrasounds and by listening to the heartbeat of the fetus, a doctor can determine if the fetus is already facing difficulties and complications due to the intake of alcohol. Unfortunately, many of the signs and symptoms are made known after the baby has been born. Physical characteristics Babies often face growth deficiency, being excessively under average height and weight compared to babies born without the syndrome. This is based on the tenth percentile of standardized growth charts depending on the patient’s population. Babies that are born premature due to fetal alcohol syndrome are considered to be below this tenth percentile regardless of the population. Facial distortions and abnormalities are the most common characteristics in a baby with fetal alcohol syndrome. The philtrum, which is the groove between the nose and upper lip, is smooth instead of being grooved. It is increasingly flattened with increased prenatal alcohol exposure (Langwith, 2010). The upper lip thins out similarly, depending on the amount of alcohol that passes through the placenta. The width of the eyes also decrease with increase alcohol consumption. Other physical characteristics include a smaller head circumference, a small midface, a shorter nose and a low nasal bridge. Joints, fingers and limbs can also see deformities, and the child can face slow physical growth even after birth. Though not visible, babies with fetal alcohol syndrome tend to have a smaller brain size, which is known as microcephaly (Stimmel, 1982). They often have heart defects, and difficulties with their vision and hearing. Due to the various defects of their body and organs, a child suffering from the syndrome usually has poor coordination. Mental and behavioral Mental retardation is the most common mental affect found in a child with fetal alcohol syndrome. They risk learning disorders and delayed development, often being required to be placed into special education to ensure that the basics of their growth and education are covered as they would be unable to keep up in a normal-paced school. Various sleep problems, such as insomnia or sleep apnea, are also among the symptoms seen in these children. Children with fetal alcohol syndrome also face a plethora of abnormal behavior that can also prove to be bothersome when they reach school age. They tend to have short attention spans, hyperactivity, extreme nervousness and anxiety, and poor impulse control. These are only made worse if they face problems with growth and development. Diagnosis Proper diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome cannot take place until after a baby has been born. The risk of the fetus developing fetal alcohol syndrome can be determined based on when and how much alcohol a pregnant woman has consumed. If the child’s doctor is aware of the mother drinking during pregnancy, the doctor will pay close attention to the growth and development of the child during its first few weeks, months and years. They will remain on the lookout for the growth of the child as well as its facial features, especially those outlined previously, and defects involving the heart, hearing and vision. As the child gets older and should be experiencing more noticeable changes and developments, the doctor will be looking at cognitive ability, language development, motor skills and behavior. Children are often referred to genetic specialists to help rule out the possibilities of other diseases or mental and physical deformities with symptoms similar to fetal alcohol syndrome. Treatment Like the majority of mental retardation diseases and syndromes, there is no cure for fetal alcohol syndrome. The physical effects will last throughout the lifetime of the child; some surgeries may be done to fix the thin upper lip or flat philtrum, though most people do not bother with fixing these deformities as they are seldom noticeable. The other defects, such as those with the heart, often require surgery to prevent further complications as the child gets older. Unfortunately, since many of these families are unable to pay for the proper surgeries, the child often faces other issues, especially those regarding the use of the heart and the lungs. Physical exercise becomes a task rather than something the child should be used to. Behavioral interventions may help with the abnormal behavior of children with fetal alcohol syndrome. Counseling and medications, such as those used to treat attention deficit hyperactive disorder, can be prescribed to a child to help with their behavioral problems and their inabilities to concentrate (Kleinfeld et al, 2000). Learning disabilities can also be helped with proper care and treatment, principally those that have been defined and properly diagnosed. Tutoring or special education can be implemented for those that are struggling in school. With the exception of the few characteristics that can be helped, children are stuck with their signs and symptoms throughout their life. Even learning disabilities and behavioral issues will never be completely cured, only dampened down as long as they receive the necessary care or treatment to keep them from acting out or being held back in their education and development. Prevention It goes without saying that a mother can prevent causing fetal alcohol syndrome in her babies by avoiding alcohol as soon as she becomes aware of being pregnant, or if she is consciously trying to become pregnant. Since a safe level of alcohol for pregnant mothers has yet to be determined, expectant mothers should avoid alcohol entirely. The more alcohol that passes through the placenta, the more symptoms that a fetus is usually born with (Armstrong, 2008); in this case, it is never too late to stop drinking, but the more alcohol means more symptoms and defects, so a mother should stop drinking immediately. If a woman is sexually active and not taking the necessary precautions to avoiding pregnancy, she should consider giving up drinking to ensure that an unplanned pregnancy does not go wrong. Many pregnancies are unplanned, and the effects of fetal alcohol syndrome can occur in the earliest weeks of pregnancy (Golden, 2005), so women need to be prepared early on. References Abel, E., & Sokol, R. (1987). Incidence of fetal alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related anomalies: Drug alcohol syndrome and economic impact of FAS-related anomalies. Drug and Alcohol Dependency, 19(1), 51-70. Armstrong, E. M. (2008). Conceiving risk, bearing responsibility: Fetal alcohol syndrome & the diagnosis of moral disorder. Baltimore: The Johns Hopkins University Press. Golden, J. L. (2005). Message in a bottle: The making of fetal alcohol syndrome. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Kleinfeld, J., Morse, B., & Wescott, S. (2000). Fantastic Antone grows up: Adolescents and adults with fetal alcohol syndrome. Fairbanks, Alaska: University Of Alaska Press. Langwith, J. (2010). Fetal alcohol syndrome. Detroit: Greenhaven Press. Stimmel, B. (1982). The effects of maternal alcohol and drug abuse on the newborn. New York, N.Y.: Hayworth Press. Ulleland, C. (1972). The offspring of alcoholic mothers. Annals New York Academy of Sciences, 197, 167-169. 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