Fetal alcohol syndrome and fetal alcohol effects. The University of Minnesota experience.

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) describes a set of physical and neurologic defects that occur in the newborn as a direct result of maternal alcohol consumption. We report on a review of a series of patients seen at the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic (UMHC) who were identified as having been exposed to alcohol in the prenatal period. Of 46 patients, 38 were found to have FAS, and seven were found to have a less severe set of abnormalities termed fetal alcohol effects (FAE). This series at UMHC demonstrated many shocking characteristics. The average IQ of the children with FAS was under 70. Every child with FAE had significant hyperactivity and attention deficit. And nearly every child in this study was in foster care or an adoptive home. This review reveals the devastating problems victims of FAS and FAE inherit.