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• Women who drank higher doses of alcohol during pregnancy, as evidenced by the ethanol metabolites found in the meconium samples of their infants rarely admitted to drinking alcohol during pregnancy.
• Dr. Katbamna is Professor of Audiology in the Department of Speech Pathology and Audiology at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo, MI.
• Although not listed as a major part of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), different texts list hearing loss as a characteristic of the FASD, based on several small studies.
• SRT was within the normal range in 40 (98%) of children with FASD and discrimination was normal in all children.
• If the facial characteristics are not visible, the child may not get a diagnosis of FAS, but may have the same neurological symptoms and behavior challenges as children with full FAS.

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May et al. (2013) found a high frequency of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, even regarding binge drinking drunken fetal syndrome (40% of the women surveyed). However, they admitted that the sample mothers were extraordinarily forthcoming and reliable in reporting alcohol use 28. These studies have shown that the number of binge episodes and the number of average alcoholic beverages per day during the first trimester were the highest risk-exposure pattern for alcohol-related facial features and growth deficiencies. Proper and early diagnosis of fetal alcohol effects in infants may be limited by the lack of pathognomonic presentation at birth and in early infancy.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Effects on the Auditory System

The estimated percentage of women drinking heavily during pregnancy ranges from 2% to 13%, depending on the population sample studied, the definition “heavy” and the study method used 26, 34. Data from the latest research estimating the proportion of women drinking alcohol during pregnancy in Europe showed that on average 15.8% of pregnant women reported alcohol consumption. The highest proportion of alcohol consumption during pregnancy was found in the UK (28.5%), Russia (26.5%), and Switzerland (20.9%) and the lowest in Norway (4.1%), Sweden (7.2%) and Poland (9.7%) 35. Alcohol is the most prevalent human Alcohol Use Disorder teratogen affected by early exposure of the fetus. Although not listed as a major part of the fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), different texts list hearing loss as a characteristic of the FASD, based on several small studies. FASD and other fetal alcohol effects, including alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND) are diagnosed with the presence of some CNS (Central Nervous System) anomalies and behavioural or cognitive abnormalities.

• Some infants may have heart defects or suffer anomalies of the ears, eyes, liver, or joints.
• Such hearing disorders may contribute to the speech and language and learning difficulties seen in children with fetal alcohol syndrome.
• If there is no alcohol exposure in the third trimester, the growth parameters can be normal.
• These criteria are appropriate for the evaluation of older children, when it is possible to assess the neurodevelopmental pattern 3, 5, 6.
• For example, the fetal valproate syndrome is characterized, among others, by a long upper lip with relatively shallow philtrum, a relatively small mouth with downturned angles, and a thin upper vermilion border.
• The prevalence of mild sensorineural hearing loss in children diagnosed with FASD (16dB hearing-level or greater)  was  not  higher  than  expected  in  this  age  group.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders

Fourteen children with the fetal alcohol syndrome were evaluated by standard audiologic procedures. All 13 of these children (93%) had clinically significant histories of bilateral recurrent serous otitis media (ie, they were otitis prone), and at least four children (29%) had bilateral sensorineural hearing losses in addition to being otitis prone. Many of the children with recurrent serous otitis media required repeated myringotomies with placement of ventilation tubes, and those with sensorineural hearing losses required sound amplification during childhood. An alcohol-induced neuroectoderm syndrome and alcohol ototoxicity are discussed as possible etiologic factors in the occurrence of sensorineural hearing loss. The findings suggest that hearing disorders are a heretofore unrecognized characteristic of the fetal alcohol syndrome. Such hearing disorders may contribute to the speech and language and learning difficulties seen in children with fetal alcohol syndrome.

The prevalence of FASD

Her applied research focus includes assessment of the effects of environmental and therapeutic ototoxic agents in children, whereas her basic research assesses the influence of these agents on the development of the auditory system in the frog model. Without appropriate support services, these individuals have a high risk of developing secondary disabilities such as mental health issues, getting into trouble with the law, abusing alcohol and other drugs, and unwanted pregnancies. If the facial characteristics are not visible, the child may not get a diagnosis of FAS, but may have the same neurological symptoms and behavior challenges as children with full FAS.