Health and Safety - Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (fas)

Alcohol consumption by pregnant women can cause Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS), a birth defect characterized by a low birth weight, facial abnormalities such as small eye openings, growth retardation, and central nervous system deficits, including learning and development disabilities. The condition is a lifelong, disabling condition that puts those children affected at risk for secondary conditions, such as mental health problems, criminal behavior, alcohol and drug abuse, and inappropriate sexual behavior. Not all children affected by prenatal alcohol use are born with the full syndrome, but they may only have selected abnormalities.

According to the CDC, estimates of the prevalence of FAS vary from 0.2 to 1.5 per one thousand births. Other

TABLE 5.2

Infant mortality rate among selected groups by race and Hispanic origin of mother, selected years 1983–2001
(Data are based on linked birth and death certificates for infants)
Race and Hispanic origin of mother	19832	19852	19902	19953	19983	19993	20003	20013
1Estimates are considered unreliable. Rates preceded by an asterisk are based on fewer than 50 events. Rates not shown are based on fewer than 20 events.
2Rates based on unweighted birth cohort data.
3Rates based on a period file using weighted data.
4Infant (under 1 year of age) and neonatal (under 28 days).
5Persons of Hispanic origin may be of any race.
6Prior to 1995, data shown only for states with an Hispanic-origin item on their birth certificates.
Notes: The race groups white, black, American Indian or Alaska Native, and Asian or Pacific Islander include persons of Hispanic and non-Hispanic origin. National linked files do not exist for 1992–94.
SOURCE: Adapted from "Table 19 (page 1 of 2). Infant, Neonatal, Postneonatal Mortality Rates, according to Detailed Race and Hispanic Origin of Mother: United States, Selected Years 1983–2001," in Health: United States, 2003, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics, 2003, http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hus/tables/2003/03hus019.pdf (accessed September 3, 2004)
	Infant4 deaths per 1,000 live births
All mothers	10.9	10.4	8.9	7.6	7.2	7.0	6.9	6.8
White	9.3	8.9	7.3	6.3	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7
Black or African American	19.2	18.6	16.9	14.6	13.8	14.0	13.5	13.3
American Indian or Alaska Native	15.2	13.1	13.1	9.0	9.3	9.3	8.3	9.7
Asian or Pacific Islander	8.3	7.8	6.6	5.3	5.5	4.8	4.9	4.7
Chinese	9.5	5.8	4.3	3.8	4.0	2.9	3.5	3.2
Japanese	5.61	6.01	5.51	5.31	3.41	3.51	4.51	4.01
Filipino	8.4	7.7	6.0	5.6	6.2	5.8	5.7	5.5
Hawaiian	11.2	9.91	8.01	6.51	9.9	7.01	9.0	7.31
Other Asian or Pacific Islander	8.1	8.5	7.4	5.5	5.7	5.1	4.8	4.8
Hispanic or Latino5,6	9.5	8.8	7.5	6.3	5.8	5.7	5.6	5.4
Mexican	9.1	8.5	7.2	6.0	5.6	5.5	5.4	5.2
Puerto Rican	12.9	11.2	9.9	8.9	7.8	8.3	8.2	8.5
Cuban	7.5	8.5	7.2	5.3	3.71	4.6	4.6	4.2
Central and South American	8.5	8.0	6.8	5.5	5.3	4.7	4.6	5.0
Other and unknown Hispanic or Latino	10.6	9.5	8.0	7.4	6.5	7.2	6.9	6.0
Not Hispanic or Latino:
White6	9.2	8.6	7.2	6.3	6.0	5.8	5.7	5.7
Black or African American6	19.1	18.3	16.9	14.7	13.9	14.1	13.6	13.5
	Neonatal4 deaths per 1,000 live births
All mothers	7.1	6.8	5.7	4.9	4.8	4.7	4.6	4.5
White	6.1	5.8	4.6	4.1	4.0	3.9	3.8	3.8
Black or African American	12.5	12.3	11.1	9.6	9.4	9.5	9.1	8.9
American Indian or Alaska Native	7.5	6.1	6.1	4.0	5.0	5.0	4.4	4.2
Asian or Pacific Islander	5.2	4.8	3.9	3.4	3.9	3.2	3.4	3.1
Chinese	5.5	3.3	2.3	2.3	2.7	1.8	2.5	1.9
Japanese	3.71	3.11	3.51	3.31	2.51	2.81	2.61	2.51
Filipino	5.6	5.1	3.5	3.4	4.6	3.9	4.1	4.0
Hawaiian	7.01	5.71	4.31	4.01	7.21	4.91	6.21	3.61
Other Asian or Pacific Islander	5.0	5.4	4.4	3.7	3.9	3.3	3.4	3.2
Hispanic or Latino5,6	6.2	5.7	4.8	4.1	3.9	3.9	3.8	3.6
Mexican	5.9	5.4	4.5	3.9	3.7	3.7	3.6	3.5
Puerto Rican	8.7	7.6	6.9	6.1	5.2	5.9	5.8	6.0
Cuban	5.01	6.2	5.3	3.61	2.71	3.51	3.21	2.51
Central and South American	5.8	5.6	4.4	3.7	3.6	3.3	3.3	3.4
Other and unknown Hispanic or Latino	6.4	5.6	5.0	4.8	4.5	4.8	4.6	3.9
Not Hispanic or Latino:
White6	5.9	5.6	4.5	4.0	3.9	3.8	3.8	3.8
Black or African American6	12.0	11.9	11.0	9.6	9.4	9.6	9.2	9.0

alcohol-related birth defects are thought to occur three times as often as FAS. As many as 130,000 pregnant women each year drink alcohol at levels known to put their babies at risk for alcohol-related birth defects.