WHAT IS FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME?
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is a birth defect caused by heavy alcohol consumption (usually in a binge pattern) during pregnancy. It is characterised by growth retardation, facial and neural abnormalities as well as malformations of other organ systems. Maternal risk for giving birth to a child with FAS is known to vary substantially by population and that the risk also varies between individuals. Alcohol and its primary metabolite, acetaldehyde, are known tissue toxins which may interfere directly with cellular growth and metabolism. When a pregnant woman consumes alcohol, it is carried to all her organs and tissues including the placenta. The placenta functions to protect the fetus and provides nourishment from the mother to the fetus. Alcohol is able to cross the placental membrane and is then transported directly to all developing tissues of the fetus.
These adverse effects of alcohol on the developing fetus are characterised by an array of disorders, termed Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). They include structural anomalies as well as behavioural and neuro-cognitive disabilities. Children at the severe end of the spectrum are defined as having the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
HOW MANY CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED BY FAS?
FAS is the most common preventable cause of mental retardation worldwide, even more so than
Down’s syndrome.
In South Africa, FAS related research has been limited to a few at-risk areas. The experience of paediatricians and medical practitioners in the Western Cape is that FAS is a common diagnosis and a known cause of mental retardation in the Mixed Ancestry population. In the last decade, 1 in
10 referrals to genetics clinics in the Western Cape yielded a FAS diagnosis. The Foundation for
Alcohol Related Research (FARR) has reported a steady increase in the