Original articles

Fetal alcohol syndrome: a prospective national surveillance study

E J Elliott¹, J Payne², A Morris¹, E Haan³, C Bower²

¹ Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, University of Sydney, The Children’s Hospital at Westmead and The Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit, Westmead, NSW, Australia
² Telethon Institute for Child Health Research, Centre for Child Health Research, The University of Western Australia, Subiaco, WA, Australia
³ Women’s and Children’s Hospital, Adelaide, SA, Australia

Professor Elizabeth Elliott, University of Sydney Discipline of Paediatrics and Child Health, c/o The Children’s Hospital at Westmead, Locked Bag 4001, Westmead 2145, NSW, Australia; elizabe2{at}chw.edu.au

Objective: To describe the epidemiology of cases of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) seen by Australian paediatricians.

Methods: Active, national case-finding using the Australian Paediatric Surveillance Unit (APSU). Monthly reporting of incident cases aged <15 years by paediatricians between January 2001 and December 2004.

Results: Over 1150 paediatricians submitted reports each month to the APSU. Of 169 reported cases, 92 fulfilled the study criteria for FAS. There was a significant increase in the number of children reported each year from 2001 to 2004. Of 92 children, 53.3% were male, 35.7% were preterm (<37 weeks’ gestation) and 64.6% were of low birth weight (<2.5 kg). Most (94.4%) had high risk exposure to alcohol in utero and 78.3% were exposed to one or more additional drugs. The median age at diagnosis was 3.3 years (range: newborn to 11.9 years): 6.5% were diagnosed at birth and 63% by 5 years of age. Of the 92 cases, 56% had growth deficiency, 53.2% had microcephaly, 85.9% had evidence of central nervous system dysfunction, 24% had additional birth defects, 5.4% had sensorineural deafness and 4.3% had visual impairment. Of children with FAS, 65% were Indigenous, 51% had a sibling with FAS, and only 40.2% lived with a biological parent.

Conclusion: Our data are the only prospective national data available on FAS throughout the world. These findings highlight the severity, complexity and impact of FAS, the need for effective strategies for prevention, and the necessity for education to facilitate earlier diagnosis, referral and reporting of cases.

CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

Relevant Articles

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: counting the invisible – mission impossible?

Albert E Chudley
Arch. Dis. Child. 2008 93: 721-722. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Atoms

Howard Bauchner
Arch. Dis. Child. 2008 93: i. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

• Sozo, F., O'Day, L., Maritz, G., Kenna, K., Stacy, V., Brew, N., Walker, D., Bocking, A., Brien, J., Harding, R. (2009). Repeated ethanol exposure during late gestation alters the maturation and innate immune status of the ovine fetal lung. Am. J. Physiol. Lung Cell. Mol. Physiol. 296: L510-L518 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Zurynski, Y, Frith, K, Leonard, H, Elliott, E (2008). Rare childhood diseases: how should we respond?. Arch. Dis. Child. 93: 1071-1074 [Abstract] [Full Text]  
• Chudley, A. E (2008). Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder: counting the invisible - mission impossible?. Arch. Dis. Child. 93: 721-722 [Full Text]  

eLetters:

Read all eLetters

Alcohol intake and pregnancy in Spain: A silent crisis

Juan A Ortega-Garcia, et al.

ADC Online, 26 Aug 2008 [Full text]