Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) represents a cluster of serious birth defects caused by the consumption of alcohol by women who are pregnant. FAS is typically diagnosed during late infancy or early childhood, and even with intensive intervention efforts, problems may persist throughout a person's life. In addition to the immeasurable toll on the children and their families, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently estimated that the lifetime health care costs of each FAS child exceeds $1,400,000. See http://www.acbr.com/fas/fasmain.htm and http://pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/10report/intro.pdf for the Tenth Special Report to Congress on the effects of alcohol abuse and prenatal exposure to alcohol.

The New Jersey Medical School has received a 3 year grant from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to develop a curriculum on prenatal alcohol exposure and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Seven self-contained modules were developed to cover topics such as: epidemiology and historical information, addiction models, screening of women, diagnosis of FAS, primary and secondary disabilities of FAS and case management, and the legal, ethical, social issues through the life span. This curriculum will be given, free of charge, for anyone requesting curriculum training through the NJMS site. Trainings can be given for the entire curriculum, or any of the individual modules.

If any group is interested in more information, or to set up trainings, please contact:

Susan Adubato, Ph.D.
Co-Director - Northeast Regional FASD Education and Training Center
UMDNJ- NJMS
30 Bergen Street
Admin 1608
Newark, N.J. 07101
(973) 972-7717
Fax: (973) 972-6556

adubatsu@umdnj.edu

Can Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Be Prevented?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is 100% preventable if a woman does not use alcohol while she is pregnant. Indeed, FAS is the most commonly known preventable birth defect that results in mental retardation. See http://www.cdc.gov/node.do/id/0900f3ec8003da59 for more information.

How are FAS and FASD Related?

FAS is a cluster of permanent, non-curable birth defects. It is characterized by significant deficits in growth, facial anomalies, and brain dysfunction that result from the use of alcohol during pregnancy. FASD is the umbrella term for any confirmed prenatal alcohol exposure, including FAS. See http://depts.washington.edu/fadu/Tr.today.97.html for more information.

How Common is FAS in New Jersey?

It is difficult to provide specific estimates on how often FAS and FASD occur, but conservative estimates indicate that FAS occurs in 1 to 3 children per 1,000 live births, and FASD occurs in as many as 5 to 10 children per 1,000 live births. FAS occurs twice as often as Spina Bifida and five times more often than Down syndrome. Down syndrome and Spina Bifida, the two of the most commonly recognized birth defects, can be easily recognzied in newborns. In comparison, it can be extremely difficult to diagnose FAS and FASD before 8 months of age. See http://www.come-over.to/FAS/USbirths.htm

One major frustration of working in the field of prenatal alcohol exposure is not knowing the full extent of the problem. Due to inadequate recognition, diagnosis and surveillance of FAS/FASD, in our state (as well as nationwide), the data has been unable to show a clear picture of the problem we face. As a result of a 1993 New Jersey drug study of laboring women, it is estimated that between 5.8% and 11% of pregnant women use drugs and/or alcohol during pregnancy. With approximately 111,000 live births each year in New Jersey, this can result in between 6,438 and 12,210 babies being exposed to dangerous substances in utero which, in many cases, can lead to a road range of lifelong disabilities. National aggregate data from 1998 from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS) revealed that between 31.8% and 54.5% of women stated they used alcohol in the three-month period before finding out they were pregnant. The percentage of these babies who develop FAS/FASD is, of course, unknown. Over 5,000 children born in 2000, or 4.4% of total live births, entered New Jersey's Birth Defects Registry (NJBDR) because they met NJBDR eligibility criteria. FAS is a reportable birth defect within New Jersey and health care providers are required by New Jersey State law to report FAS to the NJBDR prior to five (5) years of age.

Within the United States there are approximately 10,700 babies born per day. The incidence of FAS and FASD, relative to the incidence of several prominent birth defects and medical syndromes, is presented below in the table.