title: Prenatal alcohol exposure and long-term developmental consequences.
abstract: Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is a leading cause of congenital mental retardation but little is known about the long-term development and adolescent outcome of children with FAS. In a 10-year follow-up study of 60 patients diagnosed as having FAS in infancy and childhood, we investigated the long-term sequelae of intrauterine alcohol exposure. We found that the characteristic craniofacial malformations of FAS diminish with time, but microcephaly and, to a lesser degree, short stature and underweight (in boys) persist; in female adolescents body weight normalises. Persistent mental retardation is the major sequela of intrauterine alcohol exposure in many cases, and environmental and educational factors do not have strong compensatory effects on the intellectual development of affected children.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Rittberg Hospital of the German Red Cross, Berlin.
authors.forename: H L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Spohr
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Willms
authors.forename: H C
authors.initials: HC
authors.lastname: Steinhausen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001604:Berlin / Q000453:epidemiology; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002658:Developmental Disabilities / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007360:Intelligence; D008297:Male; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors