Katarína Okáľová, Karol Králinský
The negative impact of prenatal alcohol consumption on the developing fetus has been known for a long time. The term fetal alcohol syndrome was used for the first time in 1973 and represented a group of symptoms in an individual who was exposed to prenatal alcohol (this includes growth retardation, craniofacial abnormalities and life-long intellectual problems)(5). The term Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders – FASD has begun to be used to describe a wider range of clinical signs related to alcohol exposure in utero. A large number of women drink alcohol during their reproductive age and risk the potential negative impact of alcohol on their child. These trends are of an increasing nature. According to metaanalysis the global prevalence of FASD is approx. 8:1000 in the entire population, and every 13th woman who consumed alcohol during pregnancy gave birth to a child with FASD(6). We do not have accurate statistics in the Slovak Republic. There is no safe amount of alcohol that may be consumed during pregnancy and there is no safe trimester for alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
The correct diagnosis of FASD is essential to ensure a proper therapeutic approach and thus to improve the prognosis of affected individuals, as well as to improve information and counseling and to avoid further incidence. FASD is the most common preventable cause of impaired psychomotor development in the world.