Teratogenesis of alcohol

Many studies describing the teratogenic effects of alcohol have been published since Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) was first identified in 1973. Specifically, it has been a widely documented that alcohol is a teratogen that causes brain, craniofacial, and limb abnormalities in children suffering from FAS. These children have also been shown to be at high risk for mental deficiencies. Teratogenicity has only been observed in offspring of mothers who consume large quantities of alcohol during pregnancy, while the effects of moderate drinking, though linked with adverse fetal alcohol effects in many reports, are not yet clear. Studies have also shown that teratogenic effects of paternal drinking on newborns. Estimates of prevalence at birth of FAS range from 1.9 to 0.33 per 1,000 births, depending on race, population, socioeconomic status, etc. New hypotheses on the biochemical basis of ethanol-induced birth defects have been recently proposed, contributing to the understanding of alcohol teratogenicity. The following review focuses on major recent findings in this field and describes the current situation regarding FAS.