Alcoholism during pregnancy ups epilepsy risk in children

Children who suffer from fetal alcohol spectrum disorder or FASD is at least six times more likely to suffer from epilepsy in their later stage, indicates a study. These children are also likely to suffer at least one seizure during their lifetime.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) may cause permanent birth defects caused by drinking alcohol during pregnancy. A link between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and rates of drinking alcohol, drug abuse, depression and even stroke and Parkinson’s disease has been indicated in the previous research studies.

According to neuroscientists, this latest study will help in understanding the risks posed to the unborn child by alcohol consumption though it is difficult to establish the causes between drinking and epilepsy. Drinking during pregnancy can put a child at greater risk of various neurologic and behavioral health problems.



The researchers examined the case studies of 425 women from two FASD clinics and looked for a correlation between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and incidences of epilepsy or seizures during their later lives.

James Reynolds of the Centre for Neuroscience Studies at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario said, the findings of this study support a growing impression that fetal alcohol exposure may predispose the immature brain to the development of epilepsy but the results do not put up a direct cause-effect relationship between FASD and epilepsy.

"Establishing a direct link between these clinical conditions will be a difficult challenge given our incomplete understanding of how ethanol damages the developing brain and what neuropathological changes in brain tissue lead to the development of different types of epilepsy."

Another research by the researchers from Perth’s Telethon Institute for Child Health Research found that the amount and timing of alcohol consumption in pregnancy can affect behavior of a child in different ways. The study published in the international journal Addiction, found that exposure to moderate or heavy levels of alcohol in late pregnancy increases the risk of aggressive behavior in child.

Scientists and clinical investigators worldwide suggest that a woman should keep herself away from alcohol during pregnancy and concentrate on having a healthy prenatal care and include good nutritious diet, adequate exercise with appropriate amount of rest for a healthy child birth.


www.bolohealth.com

By Debjani Baidyaray