First Description of a Large Clinical Series of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Children and Adolescents in Reunion Island, France.

BACKGROUND

Despite several diagnostic guidelines, Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASDs) remain underdiagnosed or misdiagnosed, delaying the care of these patients and support for families.

OBJECTIVE

This study aims to help professionals caring for these children and their families to suspect this diagnosis earlier and to provide the most appropriate follow-up.

METHODS

A retrospective chart review with monocentric recruitment was performed at the Genetics Unit of the University Hospital of Reunion Island. A total of 147 children and adolescents with FASDs were included.

RESULTS

Prenatal alcohol exposure was associated with paternal alcohol consumption in 42.9%, and a high rate of prematurity (33.3%) was observed. Sixty percent of children or adolescents were placed in foster families. Learning difficulties without cognitive deficits were found in 65.8% of cases (50/76). Postural control and fine motor skills disabilities were described, respectively, in 54.7% (35/64) and 72.5% (50/69) of cases. A systematic genetic assessment was carried out, identifying in these FASD patients an associated Copy Number Variation (CNVs) in 22.6% of cases.

CONCLUSION

Children with FASDs combine significant vulnerabilities, associating exposure to alcohol during the preconception and/or the prenatal period, prematurity, complex familial and sociocultural living conditions, and a genetic anomaly in almost a quarter of cases.