Additional research is needed
A study of first graders showed that a significant number of subjects had fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD)—“conservative” rates, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) researchers say, ranging from 1% - 5%.
Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders cover a range of health effects that are caused by prenatal alcohol exposure, including growth deficiencies, facial abnormalities, and organ damage, as well as neurobiological deficits that contribute to challenges throughout the life of those affected.
Prenatal alcohol exposure is a “leading preventable cause of developmental disabilities worldwide,” said George Koob, PhD, director of the NIAAA. But determining the prevalence in the US is complex, he notes, because of difficulties in identifying children who have been exposed before birth and also because previous FASD estimates were based on smaller studies.
The study conducted by the Collaboration on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Prevalence consortium, collected data between 2010 -2016 on 6,639 children in 4 communities located in the Midwest, Rocky Mountain, Southeast, and Pacific Southwest communities. These sites were selected to be more reflective of US community populations than in previous studies.
Their findings suggest that many children are undiagnosed or misdiagnosed, the researchers say. Of 222 children diagnosed with FASD in the study, for example, only 2 had been previously diagnosed with FASD, although many parents and guardians were aware of the children’s learning and behavioral challenges.
The study’s comprehensive approach may give a truer picture of the prevalence of FASD in the U.S. And, says Christina Chambers, PhD, a co-leader of the investigation, it further highlights the “public health burden of FASD.”