Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

A baby with FAS; his lifetime medical and welfare costs are estimated by some to be as high as US$5 million. [1] Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) describes a spectrum of permanent and often devastating birth-defect syndromes caused by maternal consumption of alcohol during pregnancy. The main effect of fetal alcohol exposure is brain damage, which can be caused during any trimester, because the fetus's brain continues to develop throughout the entire pregnancy. The brain damage i ...