Prevalence and Characteristics of Children with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders in Communities Near Rome, Italy: Data from 2004 and 2005

Accurate estimates of the prevalence and characteristics of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) in a Western European population are lacking and are of particular interest in settings where the usual pattern of alcohol consumption is thought to be daily drinking with meals. In the first wave of research, 543 children from first-grade classes participated in the study. The prevalence of FAS in this province of Italy was 3.7 to 7.4 per 1,000 children, and total FASD was estimated to be 2 to 4%. A similar sized cohort has now been screened in a second wave of this study. Children with FASD in Italy exhibit characteristics similar to those diagnosed in other populations. They are significantly more impaired/affected than randomly selected comparison children on all measures of growth, key facial features of FASD, overall dysmorphology scores, language comprehension, nonverbal IQ, and behavior. Using careful measures of ascertainment in a primary school setting, these results provide accurate and relatively high estimates of the prevalence of FASD. They also raise the question of whether FASD is more common in the entire western world, including the United States, than previously estimated. Analysis of the 2005 data continues, and this presentation will report on data and findings from both waves of research. Funded as a pilot project as part of the International Consortium for the Study of FASD (AA014811 and AA014828), and grants from the government of the Lazio Region, Assessorato alla Sanita della Regione Lazio and SITAC Oulus.