Thousands of unborn children in Kent could be suffering physical or mental problems as a result of their mothers drinking while pregnant.
That is the claim made by the Foetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Trust, which has opened a new support group in Kent for parents whose children have been affected by alcohol consumption during pregnancy.
The charity said it has already come across more than a dozen affected families in the county, but believes this is just the tip of a very big iceberg.
It claims drinking at any time while pregnant can affect a baby’s development and lead to a range of mental and physical disabilities.
The charity said the vast majority of these either go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed as forms of autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Julia Brown, the trust’s executive officer, said the UK was two decades behind countries such as the USA and Canada at diagnosing and coping with the syndrome.
She told Kent on Sunday that drinking at any stage during pregnancy could have a profound effect on a baby’s development.
She said: “When the mother drinks so does the baby. The placenta doesn’t filter it out so it goes straight through to the baby at the same strength.
“When and to what extent a mother drinks during pregnancy will have different effects on a child, but any drinking can cause damage.
“This affects thousands of children across the UK and hundreds if not thousands in Kent, although it is not possible to put an accurate figure on it.”
The World Health Organisation estimates that one in every 1,000 babies will be born seriously damaged and as many as one in 100 could have some form of minor damage.
Children born with foetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) often have distinctive facial features, known as ‘FAS face’. These include a smooth or shallow philtrum, the area between the upper lip and the nose, a thin upper lip and thin eye openings.
Babies are often very small when they are born and may have trouble gaining weight. They may also suffer from heart defects or abnormalities of the ears, eyes, liver or joints depending on what was developing at the time their mothers drank.
Many on the milder end of the spectrum have little physical disability but can struggle to understand instructions and have behavioural difficulties.
The support group will meet in Tonbridge every three months. The meetings will involve talks by parents who have raised FAS children, as well as speech and language therapists and other health professionals.
Dr Yvonne Doyle, NHS regional director of public health in Kent, said the evidence of numbers of children born with the syndrome was “patchy”.
She reiterated the advice of the Government’s Chief Medical Officer, that pregnant women should avoid drinking alcohol or limit it to just one or two units a week.
She added: “Foetal alcohol syndrome causes the most extreme damage to an unborn baby and is 100 per cent preventable. If you don't drink, your baby will not be harmed in this way.”
For more information visit www.fasdtrust.co.uk.
POSTED: 20/01/2008 09:00:00
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