Children of Alcoholic Mothers: Growth and Motor Performance Compared to Matched Controls

Abstract

Twenty-one children born 1970-76, selected from 103 children of 30 alcoholic women, were paired to controls matched for sex, age, birth weight and gestational age. The sample (10 girls, 11 boys) was representative of the whole group with regard to weight, length and head circumference at birth. At follow-up (mean age 70 months) the study group was significantly leaner, shorter and had smaller mean head circumference than the control group. The controls had significant catch-up growth from birth to follow-up of weight, height and head circumference to the mean for Swedish children. The study group had no catch-up growth. Compared to controls the study group had significantly lower fine and gross motor age test scores and inferior coordination. One child had cerebral palsy (spastic hemiplegia) and in 6 other children slight tremor and ataxia were observed. Malformations and/or other signs of the fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) were found in 10 cases. Study group children with FAS had significantly slower growth of head circumference than others without FAS. Children placed in foster home care (n = 11) were found to have significantly (p less than 0.05) lower birth weight, birth length and head circumference than children raised at home (n = 10). There were no significant differences at follow up between study group children raised in foster homes or in homes of their biological mother.

Agmatine reduces balance deficits in a rat model of third trimester binge-like ethanol exposure

“…Additionally, problems with balance in children exposed to ethanol prenatally have been noted (Kyllerman et al, 1985;Streissguth et al, 1980). Autopsy, MRI, and PET studies have associated these deficits with alterations in cerebellar volume and function Riley & McGee, 2005;Roebuck et al, 1998).…”

Psychosocial Outcomes of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in Adulthood

“…[17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] Together they constituted this study group consisting of 79 individuals (63% men) with an FAS diagnosis, 1,29 which required (1) a documented history of alcohol abuse during pregnancy, (2) a characteristic pattern of facial anomalies, (3) growth retardation, and (4) neurodevelopmental abnormalities of the central nervous system. The FAS group was followed up in national registers in 2011 when they had a mean age of 32 years (18- …”

“…Based on these studies, [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and others, 6,10,11,14,16 we expected that the FAS group would have experienced more problems in school, limited career options, mental illness, alcohol abuse, use of illicit drugs, and trouble with the law than majority population peers. Therefore, this record-linkage study investigated possible secondary disabilities focused on outcome variables like these among the study cohort and compared them with a population matched by age, gender, and location.…”

“…The participants in this follow-up study consisted of 79 adults with a verified FAS diagnosis; some of them participated in previous studies [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] on physical and psychosocial development. Based on these studies, [17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25] and others, 6,10,11,14,16 we expected that the FAS group would have experienced more problems in school, limited career options, mental illness, alcohol abuse, use of illicit drugs, and trouble with the law than majority population peers.…”

Fetal alcohol exposure impairs hedgehog cholesterol modification and signaling

“…22 Varying degrees of motor retardation have been observed in up to 89% of humans having FASD. [23][24][25] Indeed, the diagnostic criteria for FASD include impaired fine motor skills. 26 Shh also has a proven role in neural crest morphogenesis, 27 and FASD frequently includes defects in neural crest-derived structures.…”