Holoprosencephaly as a possible embryonic alcohol effect.
Three mothers of infants with holoprosencephaly consumed alcohol heavily in pregnancy. We postulate that early alcohol exposure is a possible cause of their malformation. The 3 mothers consumed alcohol only in the first trimester but the first mother continued to take chlordiazepoxide and imipramine throughout the pregnancy. Her infant had an alobar holoprosencephaly associated with a median cleft lip, ocular hypotelorism, and a flat nose. The other infants had semilobar holoprosencephaly and hydrocephalus. These latter 2 infants did not show the characteristic facies of the fetal alcohol syndrome. G-band chromosome studies were normal in all 3 infants. The association of holoprosencephaly with alcohol exposure during pregnancy in humans has been mentioned only briefly, although this malformation has been induced by alcohol in animals. These 3 infants may support the hypothesis that acute or subacute heavy alcohol exposure early in pregnancy could lead to holoprosencephaly without the necessity of a chronic alcohol exposure and without necessarily causing the typical facial findings of the fetal alcohol syndrome.
Ronen
G M
GM
Department of Pediatrics, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Canada.
Andrews
W L
WL
D000014:Abnormalities, Drug-Induced; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D002707:Chlordiazepoxide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D016142:Holoprosencephaly / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D006801:Humans; D007099:Imipramine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008431:Maternal-Fetal Exchange; D011247:Pregnancy; D012907:Smoking; D014463:Ultrasonography
D002707:Chlordiazepoxide; D007099:Imipramine