Birth Defects Associated with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

Children with FAS have:

• Facial features that are not normal, such as a thin upper lip, short nose, short eye openings, and flat cheeks and philtrum (the groove in the middle of the upper lip).

• Growth retardation. They are small and underweight from birth.

• Brain damage. They may be mentally retarded or have problems with development, learning, and behavior.

All of these birth defects are caused by drinking alcohol in pregnancy.

If a child has some but not all of the alcohol-related problems of FAS, they are sometimes said to have fetal alcohol effects (FAE). Two newer terms are:

• Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). This term is used when a child does not have FAS, but does have one or more physical birth defects caused by alcohol. These may be physical defects of the face, eyes, ears, heart, brain, or limbs.

• Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND). This term is used when a child does not have FAS, but does have some brain damage caused by alcohol. Children with ARND are harder to identify than children with ARBD or FAS. They often have trouble in school and have behavior problems.