Last ned - Helsedirektoratet

Vedlegg 1: Sammendrag tatt fra den amerikanske
rapporten: “Fetal Alcohol Syndrome: Guidelines for
Referral and Diagnosis”
Summary and future steps
In 2002 CDC was congressionally mandated to develop diagnostic guidelines for FAS and
other prenatal alcohol-related disorders and integrate them into medical and allied health
education. With input from a SWG composed of clinicians and family and from the
NTFFAS/FAE, scientific and clinical evidence was reviewed to develop guidelines that offer
a balance between conservative and overly inclusive definitions of FAS. Criteria for
conditions not meeting the clinical definition of FAS (e.g. ARND) were not established,
because scientific evidence is insufficient at this time. Clinical and scientific research on FAS
and those conditions resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure that do not meet the criteria for
an FAS diagnosis is currently underway. These findings and advances will contribute to
further refinement of the FAS criteria, and could potentially delineate additional diagnostic
categories and criteria for conditions other than FAS. The development of these FAS
guidelines is a continuous process. Efforts to develop and refine other diagnostic categories to
identify FAS and related conditions need to continue.
During this guidelines development process, several key issues emerged that deserve mention.
1. More information on the neurodevelopmental effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol is
needed. Particular emphasis should be placed on finding the unique aspects of FAS
that will help differentiate it from other birth defects or developmental disabilities, or
both.
2. Efforts to improve the clinical assessment tools (e.g. facial and growth measures) used
to diagnose FAS should continue, particularly in terms of racial and ethnic variations
and age.
3. All children should be screened for the possibility of an FAS diagnosis. As physicians
and other allied health professionals become educated about this disorder, screening
for FAS should become routine.
4. Better communication between obstetricians, gynecologists and pediatricians is
needed to improve documentation on prenatal alcohol use. This would help with the
diagnosis of prenatal alcohol exposure in the child and could help identify women at
risk for future alcohol-exposed pregnancies.
5. Service agencies must provide a way to qualify children with FAS and related
disorders who do not meet their traditional eligibility requirements.
6. Further research and resources are needed to identify and treat women at risk for an
alcohol exposed pregnancy.
7. Awareness, both in the public and professional arenas, about the dangers of drinking
alcohol during pregnancy and about FAS and how the condition affects children and
their families is essential. A key avenue to avoiding FAS is active promotion of
programs to increase awareness of the dangers of drinking alcohol during pregnancy
and promotion of prevention activities that increase understanding of the risks of
alcohol as well as the risks for an alcohol-exposed pregnancy.
Over 30 years ago researchers first described FAS. Much has been learned about the disorder
since that time, as in reflected in these guidelines. However, there is still much more to learn
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