Claire D. Coles, Ph.D. Emory University School of Medicine
Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research Alcohol use in
Russia is among the highest in the world, according to the World
Health Organization. Yet the prevalence of fetal alcohol
spectrum disorders (FASD) among Russian children is not well
known. In the March issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental
Research, researchers closely examine a small number of children
living in Russian "Baby Homes" for features that might indicate
prenatal alcohol exposure. More than half of the Baby-Home
residents were found to have features consistent with a
diagnosis of FASD. "More than 600,000 children in Russia reside
in various state-run institutions, including Baby Homes, from
birth to four years of age, and/or orphanages, for children four
years of age and older," said Laurie C. Miller, associate
professor of pediatrics at the New England Medical Center and
corresponding author for the study. "Although it is recognized
that many children residing in Baby H