Curriculum for Addiction Professionals > Competency 1: Introduction to FASD > 9. Relationship Between Prenatal Alcohol Use and Fetal/Infant Death
Competency 1: Introduction to FASD
Relationship Between Prenatal Alcohol Use and Fetal/Infant Death
Researchers identified an association between
prenatal alcohol exposure
and fetal death more than 20 years ago. The likelihood of miscarriage increased
directly with alcohol consumption. Risk was twice as high in women consuming 1 ounce
of absolute alcohol as infrequently as twice a week.35
More recently, fetal mortality was found to be 77 percent higher when alcohol was
consumed during pregnancy.36 Prenatal
alcohol exposure is also associated with a higher rate of infant death.37
A related research finding was that siblings of children with FAS had increased
risk of death due to infectious illness and
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
compared with controls. A
diagnosis of FAS is an important risk marker for
mortality in siblings of an individual with FAS even if the siblings do not have
FAS. Maternal
alcoholism appears
to be a useful risk marker for increased mortality risk in diagnosed cases and their
siblings.37 In some populations,
such as Northern Plains Indians,
binge drinking (four
or more drinks in about two hours) in the first trimester was associated
with an increased risk of SIDS.38