title: Fetal alcohol syndrome. A great paediatric imitator.
abstract: Twenty children affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol are described. Their mothers either suffered from chronic alcoholism, or were binge or heavy drinkers while pregnant. Only in nine mothers (45%) was alcohol abuse recognized and associated with their babies' anomalies in the first months after birth; in some, the diagnosis of fetal alcohol syndrome was delayed for many years. Alcohol abuse in pregnancy is probably a significant cause of birth and developmental defects in Australian children.
mesh_terms: D000437:Alcoholism / Q000150:complications; D002648:Child; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005149:Facial Expression; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects