Study Examines Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder in European Adoptees

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder can have tremendous impact on the quality of life for an individual. According to a recent Reuters report, a study of 71 children adopted by Swedish families between 1993 and 1997 found that 52 percent had developed a fetal alcohol spectrum disorder, or FASD.

This umbrella term refers to the lasting development effects seen in some children with prenatal alcohol exposure. The most severe manifestation is fetal alcohol syndrome, which can stunt growth, produce facial deformity, create neurological deficits and result in serious behavioral problems.

Even more common is the development of what is known as alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder. In such a situation, only neurological and behavioral problems are present.

Unfortunately, in this study, the more common finding was fetal alcohol syndrome as 30 percent of the children overall had the disorder. Another 14 percent had partial fetal alcohol syndrome and 9 percent had alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder.

The findings from this study are important as international adoptions are coming under closer scrutiny. One U.S. family caught international attention when they put their adopted 7-year old son on a plane, alone, back to Russia. They claimed the boy was violent and had severe psychological problems and they could no longer care for him.

This Swedish study was conducted when Dr. Magnus Landgren and his team noticed what appeared to be a high rate of abnormal growth and development among Easter European adoptees. While the research team expected to find an elevated rate of fetal alcohol problems they didn’t expect the rate to be quite so high.

According to Landgren’s team, the rate of FASDs — 52 percent — appears to be the highest yet seen in a study population. To offer a comparison, it’s estimated that 9 or 10 children for every 1,000 born in the U.S. have an FASD.