[Analysis of temporal evolution in alcohol consumption during pregnancy in the Spanish autonomic communities].
OBJECTIVE
The fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) is considered as the main preventable cause of congenital defects and mental deficiency. We analyzed whether the consumption of alcohol during gestation has changed in Spain.


METHODS
We analyzed the evolution over the last 24 years, as well as the geographical distribution according to Spanish regions, of maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy. We used data from the ECEMC, a registry which includes 1,820,862 liveborns, of whom 30,836 were malformed. A similar number of healthy controls was collected. We established 5 increasing levels of alcohol consumption, for sporadic and diary intakes, and 3 levels of maternal scholarship.


RESULTS
Except for the lowest and highest intakes, alcohol consumption levels showed a decreasing trend over the time. These tendencies were similar in almost all Spanish regions. When comparing the intake between regions, the differences were statistically significant. There was a correlation between the maternal scholarship and the alcohol intake, showing that the higher the education the lower the amount of alcohol consumption.


CONCLUSIONS
The awareness of the alcohol effects is related to the maternal cultural level. Maternal consumption of alcohol varies across Spanish regions, though its trends are similar.
ECEMC. Centro de Investigación sobre Anomalías Congénitas (CIAC). Instituto de Salud Carlos III. Departamento de Farmacología. Facultad de Medicina. Universidad Complutense. Madrid. Spain.
María Luisa
ML
Martínez-Frías
Eva
E
Bermejo
Elvira
E
Rodríguez-Pinilla
D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D011247:Pregnancy; D012042:Registries; D013030:Spain / Q000453:epidemiology