Prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome and drug deprivation syndrome in newborns

Prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome

Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy can adversely affect the development of both the body and brain of the fetus. The effects of this harmful exposure can last a person's entire life. Foremost among these disorders are changes in the brain that lead to cognitive impairments, including memory and learning difficulties, attention disorders, poor motor coordination, and difficulty solving problems. The effects of significant alcohol exposure on fetal development are referred to as fetal alcohol syndrome.

Prevention of fetal alcohol syndrome is based on excluding the use of alcohol and other psychoactive substances by pregnant women. In a broad sense, this should be not only effective prevention of alcoholism in women, but also prevention of any use of psychoactive substances during pregnancy, and preferably during the entire reproductive period. A woman should avoid taking any doses of alcohol, since she may not know about the pregnancy for some time. The fetus is especially sensitive to the damaging effects of alcohol in the first trimester of pregnancy. In order for such prevention to be targeted, it is necessary to outline the high-risk group for the development of fetal alcohol syndrome. Who can give birth to a child with signs of fetal alcohol syndrome or other abnormalities associated with the intrauterine effect of alcohol? First of all, these are women suffering from alcoholism and who do not stop drinking alcohol during pregnancy. However, these can also be women who are not alcoholics, but for various reasons drink alcohol during pregnancy.

The diagnosis of alcoholism is not as obvious as it seems. It is useful to point out indirect signs that can be used to suspect that women are drinking alcohol during pregnancy. The following signs of a high-risk group for the development of fetal alcohol syndrome are distinguished.

• Some single women.
• Young women with children.
• Women aged 17-32 years.
• Women who are not employed.
• Women who drink a lot.
• Smoking women.
• Women who have been victims of rape or incest.
• Women whose husbands are alcoholics.
• Daughters of mothers suffering from alcoholism.
• Women with secondary education are more at risk than women with higher education.
• Women working in high-stress jobs.

Particular attention should be paid to girls aged 15-19. According to some data, mothers of this age give birth to 1 million children every year. In this age group, alcohol consumption is very common, moreover, its abuse can occur with such psychological trauma as an unplanned pregnancy.

According to the results of a number of studies, it is possible to identify women who do not stop drinking alcohol during pregnancy based on a combination of factors. These include an early age of first drinking, detection of heavy drinking or alcoholism among siblings or the mother, a report of high alcohol tolerance in the pregnant woman, the development of alcohol-related diseases, such as alcoholic gastritis, pancreatitis, and psychosis. Women who continue to drink alcohol during pregnancy are distinguished by their social environment: often their husbands and friends drink alcohol and use drugs. During pregnancy, those women who are alcoholics and cannot overcome this strong addiction, or those who are unaware of the severe consequences of intrauterine exposure to alcohol on the health of the child and do not believe the doctor's explanations, continue to drink alcohol.

In this regard, it is necessary to provide information to women at high risk of giving birth to a child with fetal alcohol syndrome about the harm of alcohol to the health of the unborn child, and to explain these same provisions to the population as a whole. P. Connor and A. Stressgus believe that information programs that disseminate information about the harmful effects of alcohol consumption during pregnancy allow women to make their choice on a more meaningful basis. Informing people involved in the primary health care system and in women's consultations about the effects of alcohol consumption by the expectant mother facilitates the identification of the risk group. With the help of all interested parties, women can promptly resort to medical services to solve their alcohol problems.

Does the attitude of women towards alcohol change due to the dissemination of information about its harmful effects on their children? Positive experience of such work is presented in the results of scientific research. It is possible to change a woman's attitude towards alcohol. This requires appropriate training of various professional groups: doctors, nurses, social workers, as well as explanatory work among the population: women of childbearing age, women from the high-risk group. It is important to organize various consultations, implement targeted training programs for senior school students. The desired audience for disseminating the necessary knowledge on the topic under discussion should also be considered husbands, since close people can better than others influence a woman's lifestyle and attitude to her health in general and to alcohol consumption in particular. Information is better perceived if it is presented in a positive form.

When addressing expectant mothers, you can use the following statements: “If you take care of your child in advance, it will help you become a good mother,” or “If you stop drinking alcohol, you will have a better chance of having a healthy baby,” or “You will feel better if you are always sober, and your child will feel good.” It is not recommended to intimidate the expectant mother or use negative forms of persuasion such as: “Your drinking has already harmed your child,” or “If you really love your child, you will not drink so much,” “Continuing to drink is ruining your health and will not allow your child to develop normally.”

Fetal alcohol syndrome is a dose-dependent condition. The more alcohol a pregnant woman drinks, the more severe the disorder in the fetus. However, safe doses have not been established. The best way to prevent it is to completely abstain from drinking alcohol during pregnancy and for several months before it occurs.

Prevention of drug withdrawal syndrome in newborns

If a woman has taken drugs during pregnancy, it is very likely that she will give birth to a child with signs of neonatal drug withdrawal syndrome. The terms "fetal and neonatal withdrawal syndrome," "fetal withdrawal syndrome" are also used to describe this condition of the newborn. Prenatal developmental disorders have been described in children who have been exposed to opioids in utero. It is noted that the damage caused by drug use is not limited to the effect on the person himself, but also extends to his offspring. As a rule, people of reproductive age use drugs. A significant proportion of them are women.

Prevention of this condition in newborns includes a set of medical and social measures. It is necessary to train doctors of antenatal clinics to promptly identify and refer pregnant women from the high-risk group for treatment to a narcologist. Women who use drugs usually start smoking and drinking alcohol early, and sometimes abuse various medications. It is necessary to take into account anamnestic information: complete or incomplete family, education, social environment, data on drug-related diseases in the family, etc. If there is a suspicion that a pregnant woman is taking drugs and if it is impossible to obtain confirmation of this fact of birth from her, it is necessary to conduct a urine test for the content of narcotic substances and their metabolites. Positive results of a urine test are considered irrefutable evidence of drug use by a woman, while a negative result does not completely exclude the possibility of a diagnosis of drug addiction and the fact of taking these drugs. In this case, it is important to clarify the drug and alcohol history. Early prenatal treatment, timely detoxification and instilling a negative attitude towards drugs in the name of the child’s health with the participation of a narcologist and psychotherapist can help prevent neonatal drug addiction syndrome in newborns.