Western Cape Health on International Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Day 2016

No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy – International FASD Day 2016

Tomorrow, 9 September 2016, marks the commemoration of Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) Day.

The theme for 2016 international FASD Day is: “No amount of alcohol is safe during pregnancy.” The date of FASD Day is quite significant since it refers to the 9 month duration of a normal pregnancy.

FASD is a collective name for a group of conditions that can occur in a child whose mother has consumed alcohol during pregnancy. It is a lifelong condition that affects the child’s physical and emotional development.

FASDs are completely preventable if a woman does not drink alcohol during pregnancy.

“As part of our First 1000 Days campaign we encourage all women to take care of themselves and their babies by making health lifestyle choices. This also means mothers are urged to stop consuming alcohol, especially during pregnancy. If a woman is drinking alcohol during pregnancy, it is never too late to stop. The sooner a woman stops drinking, the better it will be for both her baby and herself. If you find out you are pregnant, stop drinking alcohol immediately. If you are having trouble, seek professional help from your local clinic or social development organisation, “ said Western Cape Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo.

FASD is a disorder that is 100% preventable, yet affects many young lives, for the rest of their lives.

Alcohol can cause problems for the developing baby throughout pregnancy, including before a woman knows she is pregnant.

Drinking alcohol in the first three months of pregnancy can cause the baby to have abnormal facial features.

Growth and central nervous system problems (e.g., low birth weight, behavioural problems) can occur from drinking alcohol anytime during pregnancy. The baby’s brain is developing throughout pregnancy and can be affected by exposure to alcohol at any time.

There are many types of treatment options, including medication to help with some symptoms, behaviour and education therapy, parent training, and other alternative approaches. No one treatment is right for every child. Good treatment plans will include close monitoring, follow-ups, and changes as needed along the way.

For more information, visit your nearest primary health care clinic. You can also seek help and more information about FASD from the organisations listed below.

Organisation

Tel

Fax

E-mail

Website

         

Alcoholics Anonymous

021 418 0908

021 418 0908

aawestcape@telkomsa.net

www.cape.org.za

Al-Anon

021 595 4517

086 523 3030

alanongso@iafrica.com

www.alanon.org.za

Narcotics Anonymous

083 900 6962

 

wcpi@na.org.za

www.na.org.za

SANCA

021 9454080

021 9454082

sanca@sancawc.co.za

www.sancawc.co.za

Foundation of Alcohol-Related Research

021 686 2645

021 685 7034

info@farrsa.org.za

www.farr-sa.co.za

FASFacts

023 342 7000

023 3427001

info@FASfacts.org.za

www.FASfacts.org.za

FASD Q&A:

What is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) is caused when a pregnant woman drinks alcohol. The alcohol can reach any part of her body and the baby within 20 minutes after she has taken a drink. The alcohol is toxic (poisonous) for the unborn baby and it may damage any of the unborn baby’s organs, although the brain and the nervous system are the most vulnerable. For this reason, babies exposed to alcohol during pregnancy are at risk of permanent brain damage!

After birth, the baby may have a whole range of physical, neurological and behavioural problems that become more and more evident with time. Due to the variances of IQ testing, if we were to place a normal child with an IQ of 100, then a FAS child will have an average IQ range of between 65 and 75. Owing to the South Africa policy of inclusive education, most of these children will be placed in main stream schools. The children with FAS including their parents and teachers fight a constant battle with their special educational needs.

In addition to intellectual deficits, a child with FAS may suffer from the following defects:

  • Growth retardation (before and after birth they are small for their age)
  • Any organ can be damaged, especially the brain, eyes, ears and heart
  • The baby’s facial features could be affected

Brain damage which results in lifelong problems such as learning disabilities, interpersonal relationship problems, developmental disabilities such as fine motor development, coordination, arithmetic and cause and effect reasoning. In addition, most of these children have attention and hyperactivity problems.

What is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)?

FASD is a broad spectrum of abnormal signs and symptoms in children due to mothers drinking when they were pregnant with these children. FAS is the most severe of the Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders, the so-called tip of the FASD iceberg. The other disorders or defects that can be diagnosed are:

Alcohol Related Neurodevelopmental Disorders (ARND) : Any of the unborn baby’s developing organs can be damaged by the poisonous (toxic) effect of the alcohol; however the brain is especially vulnerable. Children with ARND have brain damage, but few of the other obvious signs or symptoms of FAS. Making this diagnosis demands careful neuro-developmental assessment (psychological testing) using specialized tests for FASD.

When diagnosing ARND, it is very important that we have the definite or confirmed fact that the mother drank alcohol during her pregnancy. Children with this condition are often wrongly labelled as naughty, hyperactive and / or with attention deficit disorder (ADHD-like behaviour).

Alcohol Related Birth Defects (ARBD) Sometimes children are born without the typical physical appearance of FAS, but with damaged organs (e.g. heart, eye, hearing, skeletal and other defects). The diagnosis of these children is a complex procedure and requires specialized paediatric knowledge and skills. Again, when diagnosing ARBD, it is very important that we have the definite or confirmed fact that the mother drank alcohol during her pregnancy.

Partial FAS (PFAS) A child with PFAS usually has some of the facial and physical signs of FAS, but is not as severely affected as a child with full-blown FAS.

How much alcohol is safe for a mother to drink during pregnancy?

There is no safe amount of alcohol!

Every person metabolizes (breaks down) alcohol in a unique way. Some people may feel intoxicated from a few sips of wine while others may be able to tolerate more alcohol. No-one can predict how your body will respond to alcohol as various factors such as body weight, gender and nutrition affect blood alcohol levels. As soon as a woman falls pregnant, her body’s ability to metabolize alcohol also changes. In addition the unborn baby (fetus) has a very susceptible nervous system (the brain) to the harmful effects of alcohol and the immature fetal liver has great difficulty in digesting the alcohol that is passed to it from the mother.

Binge drinking is wide spread in South Africa. It is quite normal for many people to not drink alcohol for periods of time (e.g. during the week) and then consume large quantities of alcohol over weekends or at parties. Binge drinking is defined by 5 or more drinks (15 ml absolute alcohol / drink) in one sitting of 2 –  3 hours. These sudden increased alcohol peaks in the blood stream of the pregnant woman bombards the unborn baby with alcohol and can be detrimental for the unborn baby’s development.

Is FAS a big problem?

Yes! Worldwide, FAS is a big challenge, although formal figures of the incidence for a few countries such as America (0,1 3%), France (2,1%) and South Africa (8-12%) are available. South Africa has the highest reported rate of FAS worldwide. Here in our country FAS is 30-50 times more common than the next most common birth defect, namely Down Syndrome.

It has been estimated that more than 2 million of the South African population is affected by FAS and a further 5 million may have the lesser features of FASD.

Can any child be affected by FAS?

Yes, no matter the colour of your skin, your race or religion, or how much money you earn, any child is vulnerable. If a woman drinks alcohol during pregnancy she is at risk of having a child with FAS.

Often FAS is not diagnosed and the child carries the burden of the debilitating effects of maternal alcohol drinking throughout life without a chance of remedial help.

Can FAS be cured?

Unfortunately FAS CANNOT be cured. FAS is 100% preventable by simply not drinking during pregnancy! However, once the damage it done to the unborn baby, it cannot be reversed – it is permanent.Many women only discover at 3 to 4 months that they are pregnant, and by that stage, much of the damage could already have been done to the unborn baby. Therefore, if a woman is sexually active, and not using any form of contraception, she could be pregnant. Our advice for these women is to not drink at all!

It is important to remember that it is never too late for a pregnant woman to stop using alcohol. By doing so she ensures that she does not put her child at further risk.

How do you diagnose FAS?

It is very important that the correct, scientific diagnostic rules are followed to make sure that a child truly has FASD, and to prevent incorrect labelling of a child and his or her family. This is even more important in a multi-cultural society such as South Africa, where many of the so-called typical features of FAS are present in some of the ethnical groups. Whereas these may be ethnic features, the wrong diagnosis is often made on these features and may have devastating results for both the child and the family.

The diagnosis of FASD can only be made by a multi-disciplinary team of trained experts and includes:

  • Clinical assessment (IOM model) Only a medical doctor, trained in the diagnosis of FASD, using special tests, graphs and criteria can make the diagnosis
  • Neuro-developmental assessment an important aspect of the diagnosis is done by a trained psychometrist using specific tests for FASD to assess whether the child is developing normally
  • Detailed interview of the mother is very important to understand the time and amount of alcohol taken by the mother as well as understanding her nutritional status, medical history, psycho-social circumstances and other drug consumption e.g. smoking, recreational drug use.

The results of the 3 areas of interest are assessed by the team, and only if all three tests are conclusive, can a diagnosis of FASD be made.

What can be done to prevent FASD?

It is vital that as many people as possible receive information regarding alcohol use in pregnancy, so that we can all encourage and support pregnant women not to drink alcohol during this time. Friends, family and the father of the unborn child all have an enormous responsibility and a role to play to ensure that every baby is born without FASD.

If I drank during my last pregnancy and my baby was fine, why can’t I drink during this pregnancy?

Drinking during pregnancy does not have an all or nothing effect on the unborn baby. Effects vary from child to child due to variables such as:

The health, age and nutritional status of the mother, a healthy mother, is more likely to produce a healthy baby. For instance, very young or mothers of older age are more at risk. Frequent infections, high blood pressure or bleed during pregnancy together with poor nutrition, being overweight, requiring other medications, stress and other factors, all have separate impacts.

Our best advice to all pregnant women is not to drink at all during their pregnancies.

What if I am pregnant and I have been drinking?

Do not despair, but do try to stop all alcohol consumption immediately. It has been shown conclusively in studies in pregnant women, that in those who stop drinking (compared to those who continue) there is a measurable beneficial effect in their babies outcomes (baby’s benefit when their mums stop drinking).

How can I help a family member or friend during her pregnancy?

It is very important for you to help a pregnant friend or relative who is drinking through her difficulties. Your attitude should be that of a true, loving, caring person rather than a critical individual with a know-all personality. Assist her in every way possible to understand the danger she is bringing to her unborn child. Encourage her to seek medical attention and eat healthily. Support her in family matters and with her other children (if she has other children). When you attend social events with her, support her by joining her in not drinking alcohol at these events.

If I am worried that I or someone I know has a child with FASD, who can I go to for a diagnosis?

Visit your nearest primary health care clinic and ask to be referred to the relevant diagnostic service. In some areas in South Africa, this might require a referral to a tertiary hospital.

Enquiries:
Luyanda Mfeka
Spokesperson to the Western Cape Minister of Health, Dr Nomafrench Mbombo
Cell: 076 171 5978
Tel: 021 483 5862
Email: luyanda.mfeka@westerncape.gov.za

Leensie Streicher
Communications Officer
Tel: 022 487 9357
Cell: 072 224 7376
E-mail: maria.streicher@westerncape.gov.za

Province
More on

Share this page

Similar categories to explore