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Q.

How is fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosed?

Related Topics: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
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A.

The diagnosis of FAS must be based on solid evidence. FAS is a diagnosis of great importance for the entire lifetime of the child, not to speak of its implications for the child's mother and other family members.

To establish a diagnosis of FAS, by convention, the following minimal criteria are met:

  1. small size and weight before and after birth (pre- and postnatal retardation)
  2. specific appearance of the head and face with at least two of the three following groups of signs: small head size (microcephaly), small eyes (microphthalmia) and/or short eye openings (palpebral fissures) and/or underdevelopment of the upper lip, indistinct groove between the lip and nose (the philtrum), and flattened cheekbones
  3. brain involvement with evidence for delay in development, intellectual impairment, or neurologic abnormalities

These criteria are used for the following reasons:

  1. FAS can be difficult to diagnose at and after birth.
  2. FAS can easily be confounded with many other disorders.
  3. There is no one clinical feature that specifically identifies FAS.
  4. There is no laboratory test to aid in the diagnosis.

This answer should not be considered medical advice...down arrowThis answer should not be considered medical advice and should not take the place of a doctor’s visit. Please see the bottom of the page for more information or visit our Terms and Conditions.up arrow

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