Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS)
Partial fetal alcohol syndrome (pFAS) refers to individuals with a known, or highly suspected, history of prenatal alcohol exposure who have alcohol-related physical and neurodevelopmental deficits that do not meet the full criteria for FAS. pFAS-subtypes:
Alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder (ARND)
Alcohol-related birth defects (ARBD). In addition to FAS, pFAS
Alcohol-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder (ARND)
Alcohol-Related Birth Defects (ARBD)
Neurobehavioral Disorder Associated With Prenatal Alcohol Exposure (ND-PAE)
Static EncephalopathyThese conditions believed to be related to prenatal alcohol exposure, such as spontaneous abortion and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), are also considered to be on the spectrum of related disorders. It is unclear as of 2017 if identifying a FASD-related condition benefits the individual.In 2013, the American Psychiatric Association introduced neurobehavioral disorder associated with prenatal alcohol exposure (ND-PAE) into the DSM-V as a "condition for further study" and as a specified condition under, "other specified neurodevelopmental disorders" as a way to better study the behavioral aspects of all FASD disorders. Though similar sounding, ND-PAE is the spectrum-wide term for the psychiatric, behavioral, and neurological symptoms of all FASDs, where as ARND is the specific diagnosis of the non-dysmorphic type of FASD where a majority of the symptoms are witnessed. Signs and symptoms
The key of FASD can vary between individuals exposed to alcohol during pregnancy. While consensus exists for the definition and diagnosis of FAS, minor variations among the systems lead to differences in definitions and diagnostic cut-off criteria for other diagnoses across the FASD continuum.The central nervous system damage criteria particularly lacks clear consensus.
Unlikely: No evidence of CNS damage. Structural
Structural abnormalities of the brain are observable, physical damage to the brain or brain structures caused by prenatal alcohol exposure. Structural impairments may include microcephaly (small head size) of two or more standard deviations below the average, or other abnormalities in brain structure (e.g., agenesis of the corpus callosum, cerebellar hypoplasia).Microcephaly is determined by comparing head circumference (often called occipitofrontal circumference, or OFC) to appropriate OFC growth charts. Other structural impairments must be observed through medical imaging techniques by a trained physician. Because imaging procedures are expensive and relatively inaccessible to most people, diagnosis of FAS is not frequently made via structural impairments, except for microcephaly.Evidence of a CNS structural impairment due to prenatal alcohol exposure will result in a diagnosis of FAS, and neurological and functional impairments are highly likely.During the first trimester of pregnancy, alcohol interferes with the migration and organization of brain cells, which can create structural deformities or deficits within the brain. During the third trimester, damage can be caused to the hippocampus, which plays a role in memory, learning, emotion, and encoding visual and auditory information, all of which can create neurological and functional CNS impairments as well.As of 2002, there were 25 reports of autopsies on infants known to have FAS. The first was in 1973, on an infant who died shortly after birth.