Jahnavi Sarma
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Written By: Jahnavi Sarma | Updated : May 14, 2020 9:40 PM IST
Most childhood cancers are not associated with lifestyle-related risk factors. But some studies suggest that excessive alcohol consumption during pregnancy might increase the risk of leukemia in children. A pooled analysis of data from published studies, reported in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, found that drinking alcohol during pregnancy was associated with a 56 percent increased risk of acute myeloid leukemia in children.
You are not supposed to drink alcohol when you are pregnant. This can have a negative impact on your baby's health. When you drink, the alcohol enters your bloodstream and it can then reach your baby via the umbilical cord. There are many side effects, and some are miscarriage, stillbirth and many physical and behavioral issues that can cause lifelong impairment in your child. It can also have an impact on the intellectual ability of your child. These disabilities are collectively known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASDs). You must avoid alcohol at all stages of pregnancy. Oregon Health & Science University researchers say that magnetic resonance imaging showed impairments to brain growth during the third trimester of pregnancy, even though the fetus was exposed to alcohol only during the first trimester in a recent study. This was published in published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
According to researchers at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, 428 distinct disease conditions can co-occur in people with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. This is a most comprehensive review of its kind and the journal The Lancet published the results of the study. According to researchers, this condition affected nearly every system of the body, including the central nervous system (brain), vision, hearing, cardiac, circulation, digestion, and musculoskeletal and respiratory systems, among others.
According to experts, the severity and symptoms of this condition may vary depending on how much and when alcohol was consumed. Other factors like stress levels, nutrition and environmental influences may also play a role, say researchers of the above-mentioned review. The most common symptoms of this condition are physical or mental problems that may be lifelong.
A child with this condition may exhibit distinctive facial features with a small head, flat face and narrow eye openings, which gets more pronounced by the age of 2 or 3 years. He or she may also face developmental and growth issues. Such children may be smaller than other children of the same age. They may also face some learning and behavioural issues. Birth defects are also common in such kids and they may have issues with bonding or feeding as a newborn.
The problem with this condition is that you may easily miss them. The symptoms are not always evident at birth. Severe alcohol effects may be visible to a doctor, but mild symptoms are very easy to miss. You may not notice anything wrong till the child goes to school. But the minute you see any signs, you must consult your doctor and chalk out a plan on how to support your child.
If you have a child with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, you will have to be patient and caring. Your baby will need extra support in almost all areas of life be it going to school, social skills training, job training or counselling. But if you are able to spot the symptoms early, however mild they may be, you will be in a better position to help your child reach his or her full potential. This will help prevent many problems in school and also keep associated mental health problems, like substance abuse, depression and anxiety away. But there is no treatment that can cure or reverse this condition. Abstaining during pregnancy is the only way to save your child from a life of health issues and problems.
