Up to 17 per cent of children could have symptoms consistent with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) according to new research published today (Friday 30 November) in Preventive Medicine.
The UK has the fourth highest level of prenatal alcohol use in the world, but no estimates existed from a population-based study on how many people may have FASD. FASD is a group of lifelong conditions caused by exposure to alcohol in pregnancy that affect learning and behaviour and can cause physical abnormalities.
FASD is considered to be a relatively hidden disability because most individuals with it do not show physical features. It is thought to be under-diagnosed with only one specialist clinic in England.
Researchers from the University of Bristol and Cardiff University worked with clinicians to assess a wide range of information on mothers’ drinking in pregnancy and studied the development of 13,495 children from Bristol’s Children of…
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