The adverse and chronic effects of maternal alcohol abuse during pregnancy on her infant.

The effects of heavy maternal alcohol use during pregnancy were first described as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the United States in 1973. An estimated one to three babies of every thousand births in the United States has FAS, making FAS the leading cause of mental retardation. It is also one of the few preventable causes of mental retardation and other birth defects. The U.S. Public Health Service estimates that between two and five of every thousand babies born in the United States exhibits one or more effects from fetal alcohol exposure. Although the precise amount of alcohol that must be consumed to cause damage is not known, it is believed that both heavy, consistent alcohol consumption and...