CDC Releases Guidelines on Identifying and Referring Persons with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome

摘要

Prenatal exposure to alcohol can damage the developing fetus and is a leading preventable cause of birth defects and developmental disabilities. Despite the known adverse effects of prenatal exposure to alcohol, children who experience these effects often do not receive a correct diagnosis or referral for diagnostic evaluation because of the absence of uniformly accepted diagnostic criteria and guidelines for referral. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued consensus guidelines to help identify persons affected by prenatal exposure to alcohol so that they and their families can receive services that enable them to achieve healthy lives. The recommendations, which were published in the October 28,2005, issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, include guidelines to enhance identification of and intervention for women at risk of alcohol-exposed pregnancies.