title: Prenatal Alcohol Exposure and the Developing Immune System.
abstract: Evidence from research in humans and animals suggest that ingesting alcohol during pregnancy can disrupt the fetal immune system and result in an increased risk of infections and disease in newborns that may persist throughout life. Alcohol may have indirect effects on the immune system by increasing the risk of premature birth, which itself is a risk factor for immune-related problems. Animal studies suggest that alcohol exposure directly disrupts the developing immune system. A comprehensive knowledge of the mechanisms underlying alcohol's effects on the developing immune system only will become clear once researchers establish improved methods for identifying newborns exposed to alcohol in utero.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Theresa W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Gauthier
mesh_terms: D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000276:immunology*; D000818:Animals; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D063647:Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders / Q000276:immunology*; D047109:Fetal Development / Q000187:drug effects / Q000276:immunology*; D006801:Humans; D007107:Immune System / Q000187:drug effects / Q000196:embryology*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007234:Infant, Premature; D011247:Pregnancy; D047928:Premature Birth / Q000276:immunology*; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000276:immunology*
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol