Current Biological Issue: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

While I was in high school, I had the privilege of getting to know someone who was very kind and special. He was one of the most genuinely altruistic people I've ever met, and he deserved to have a happy, healthy life. Although he was a very optimistic person, he carried a burden that no one should have to live with: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. The encumbering factor wasn't the fact that he had this syndrome; it was the fact that it could have been prevented. When I got the assignment to address a current biological issue for my Biology class at BYU, I knew exactly what I would choose to research and resolve. If you'd like to learn about FAS and be a part of my assignment, go ahead and read on. If not, I'll be back with ALIgories soon!

Thanks, guys! :)

The World As They See It
National Geographic February 2005

Ellen O'Donovan found out she was pregnant while she was fighting a vicious battle against her one huge impediment: alcoholism. She could barely handle her own struggles with it, let alone worry about physically passing it on to her son. By the time she found out she was pregnant (two months into her pregnancy), it was already too late. Her son, Malcolm, was born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and had many impairments such as poor vision, defective kidneys and stomach, being extremely undersized, and having multiple learning disabilities at birth, due to his mother's alcoholism. Ellen is grateful to have her son in her life and hasn't taken a drink in three and a half years (as of February, 2005), however, she still has to live with all the consequences and guilt. She wants mothers and future mothers to be educated and smart when it comes drinking during pregnancies because the many effects of FAS are devasting circumstances that nobody should ever have to live with.

The Problem:

According to a study done by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Acoholism in the US, 1-3 live births out of 1,000 are born with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome in the U.S. On the Manitoba reserve in Canada, 100 of 1,000 live births are born with FAS. Although every country, state, and town have different percentages of this harmful quandary, it is no-doubt a problem that needs to be more -fully understood, addressed, and prevented as much as possible.

My Solution:

In order to prevent this awful syndrome from occurring so frequently, I believe it is absolutely essential to learn more about the severity of its effects (especially on the brain). Once we know exactly what it can do (and to what extent), informing people will be much more effective and influencial; it won't be merely opinions or theories but facts, and that's when people truly listen and take caution. It is also necessary to know about different people's views on the matter, to know exactly how educated on FAS they are. It will then be easier (and more instrumental) to cater different FAS awareness/education programs according to what each area's specific needs are.

Understanding What Exactly FAS Does to the Brain:

(a supporting peer-reviewed journal)

S.R. Ghimire, A.K. Saxena, D. Rai, and S. Dhungel from the Department of Anatomy and the Patan Academy of Health Sciences wanted to not only understand what FAS can physically do to a fetus, but also understand the histological effects of it on the cerebellum . To do this, they fed famale rats 20.0% alcohol every single day for fourteen days before they began to mate, and then every day for the rest of their pregnancies. Then, twenty-seven days after the rat pups were born, they were killed and observed. The scientists studied, weighed, and processed the rats' cerebellums and came up with a lot of applicable data. Their results are as follows:

-The rat pups' brains weighed much less/were less dense than the brains of regular, healthy rats.

-The diameter of Purkinje cells (cells found in the brain) was smaller in the FAS rats.

-The width of the molecular and granular layers was also smaller in these rats.

*What all of this means is that the consumption of alcohol does affect the brain and the rate/success of its growth. The "histological architecture of cerebellum," as the scientists put it, is significantly altered and slowed, resulting in mental handicaps.

Effectively Creating Campaigns for FAS Prevention:

(a supporting peer-reviewed journal)

Because every country, state, and community is different and people understand FAS on very different levels, it is important for leaders of communities/organizations and supporters of FAS prevention to understand what needs to be explained to mothers and potential mothers. E. Peadon, J. Payne, N. Henley, H. D'Antoine, A. Bartu, C. O'Leary, C. Bower, and E.J. Elliot from BMC Public Health conducted a national survey in Australia concerning "women's knowledge and attitudes regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy." Basically what they did was interwiew women ages 18-45 regarding their opinions, understandings, and awarenesses towards alcohol consumption and the results of it on the unborn child. The results they recieved are as follows:

-61.5% had heard about what alcohol can do to a fetus.

-53% had heard of FAS

-16.2% of the 92.7% who believed alcohol can affect a fetus didn't agree that the damage done could be permanent.

-Women with higher education levels seemed to be more aware of how alcohol can affect pregnancy.

-There was not necessarily a correlation between knowledge/education and attitude toward the matter.

*Their conclusion states that there was a "disjunction between and attitudes towards alcohol consumption in pregnancy." Now that they more-fully understand the women's awarenesses and outlooks in their country (as they'd encourage other countries and communities to do), they'll be able to more-effectively create campaigns for the reduction of FAS there.

In the meantime, what are some every-day habits you and I can maintain to help prevent FAS?

For the mothers...

-Familiarize yourself with the risks of drinking during pregnancy (and always, really).

-Attend maternity classes to become familiar with the severity of FAS effects.

-Establish/join support groups for soon-to-be mothers who might be tempted to drink during pregnancies.

-Don't be afraid to ask questions; contact your doctor with any concerns you may have.

-Make an educated decision concerning your alcohol consumption before you become pregnant.

-Simply abstain from alcohol.

-If abstinence isn't for you, use reliable contraception until the decision to become pregnant has been made. That way, you'll be prepared to stay away from alcohol consumption when you're aware that it's necessary to do so.

For the public, communities, family, and friends of expectant mothers...

-Implement public policies concerning alcohol consumption during pregnancy.

-Create/vote for harsher legislation for underage drinking in order to more-fully caution young mothers, and therefore, decrease the percentages of FAS in your community.

-Become actively-involved in reminding mothers of the severe effects of FAS.

-Encourage family and friends to abstain from alcohol, especially during pregnancy.

As students at Brigham Young University, we've all obviously chosen to abstain from alcohol. We understand that keeping the Word of Wisdom is part of the Honor Code, and more importantly, for our own health and well-being. Hopefully, students here at this University won't have to worry about FAS personally, but it does affect those around us daily. I would strongly encourage anyone and everyone who is willing, to support the fight against FAS and become as involved as you can in the progression towards prevention.

References:

Ghimire, SR., Saxena, AK., Rai, D., & Dhungel, S. (2009). Effect of maternal alcohol consumption on cerebellum of rat pups: a histological study. Nepal Medical College Journal, 4, 268-71. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.erl.lib.byu.edu/pubmed?Db=pubmed&DbFrom=pubmed&Cmd=Link&LinkName=pubmed_pubmed&IdsFror

Peadon, E., Payne, J., Henley, N., D'Antonie, H., Bartu, A., O'Leary, C., Bower, C., & Elliott, E.J. (2010). Women's knowledge and attitudes regarding alcohol consumption in pregnancy: a national survey. BMC Public Health, 10. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2936428/?tool=pubmed

Square, D. (1997). Fetal alcohol syndrome epidemic on Manitoba reserve. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 157. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov.erl.lib.byu.edu/pmc/articles/PMC1227669/pdf/cmaj_157_1_59.pdf

Steinmetz, G. (2005). The World as They See It. National Geographic, 181. Retrieved from http://www.faslink.org/national%20geographic%20-%20article%20on%20fetal%20alcohol.htm

Photos taken from:

http://www.faslink.org/national%20geographic%20-%20article%20on%20fetal%20alcohol.htm

http://mindforums.com/38/

http://www.makli.com/fetal-alcohol-syndrome-0034272/

http://www.valcare.org.za/cgi-bin/giga.cgi?cmd=cause_dir_project&project_id=2971&cause_id=93