3b- Effet des petites doses d’alcool sur le foetus exposé

Sood B, Delaney-Black V, Covington C, Nordstrom-Klee B, Ager J, Templin T, Janisse J, Martier S, Sokol RJ.

Prenatal alcohol exposure and childhood behavior at age 6 to 7 years : I. dose-response effect.

Pediatrics. 2001 Aug ;108(2):E34.

PMID : 11483844 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

CONCLUSIONS

Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with

 adverse behavioral outcomes in children at age 6 in this large black, socially disadvantaged sample.

 The CBCL detected significant differences in scores by prenatal alcohol exposure status. -This effect was observed at average levels of exposure as low as 1 drink per week.

 Externalizing (Aggression and Delinquent) behaviors were most significantly affected. -Higher mean scores on Externalizing and Aggression were observed with low levels of prenatal alcohol exposure, whereas on Delinquent and Total Problem behaviors, higher scores were observed only at moderate/heavy levels of prenatal alcohol exposure.

 Children who had had any prenatal alcohol exposure were 3.2 times as likely to have Delinquent behavior scores in the clinical range compared with nonexposed children.

 The relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure and adverse childhood behavior outcome persisted after controlling for other factors that are associated with adverse behavioral outcomes.

The problems of children who are affected by even small amounts of parental alcohol use deserve recognition in clinical practice.

 Pregnant women should continue to be advised that there is no known "safe" amount of fetal alcohol exposure, and questions about prenatal exposure to alcohol should be routine in the psychological history for patients of all ages even in the absence of overt morphologic changes consistent with fetal alcohol exposure.