title: Influence of chronic intrauterine exposure to alcohol on structurally normal hearts.
abstract: Abuse of alcohol during pregnancy is known to cause alcoholic embryopathy and congenital cardiac disease. We sought to establish if there were any cardiac abnormalities to be found in patients known to have alcoholic embryopathy, but with structurally normal hearts. We reviewed the electrocardiograms and echocardiographic data of 347 such patients without congenital cardiac disease. A shortened QT interval was found in half of the cases. The left ventricular diameter was small in one quarter of all patients, independent from age, gender, and the degree of alcoholic embryopathy. We conclude that intrauterine exposure to alcohol as a primary toxin can lead to minor cardiac abnormalities, even in the absence of structural congenital cardiac disease.
authors.affiliation: Deptartment of Pediatric Cardiology, University Children's Hospital Muenster, Muenster, Germany. Thomas.Krasemann@gstt.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Krasemann
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Klingebiel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004452:Echocardiography; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology; D006321:Heart / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000196:embryology; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011247:Pregnancy; D012016:Reference Values; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D016216:Ultrasonography, Prenatal; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology