Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Respiratory Symptoms Seen in Georgia Pre-adolescent Children Público

Abstract

FETAL ALCOHOL SYNDROME AND RESPIRATORY SYMPTOMS SEEN IN
GEORGIA PRE-ADOLESCENT CHILDREN
OBJECTIVES: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a collection of physical, mental, behavioral,
and/or physiological symptoms that present in infants and young children exposed to
alcohol during fetal development. In addition to the well-known medical problems
associated with FAS, some observational studies and the results of animal research
suggest that children with FAS may also be at greater risk of respiratory ailments such as
lung infections and asthma. There is a need for diagnosticians and patients to fully
understand the wide array of medical problems that may develop from fetal alcohol
exposure, yet few studies have investigated whether children with FAS are more likely to
develop respiratory symptoms than children without FAS.
METHODS: Medical chart data from 625 pre-adolescent patients of the Fetal Alcohol
Clinic at the Marcus Autism Center were analyzed in a retrospective cross-sectional study
comparing patients across three FAS diagnostic levels (full FAS, partial FAS, no FAS
diagnosis). Logistic regression was used to fit a model to describe the association
between FAS diagnoses and respiratory outcomes. Asthma-related symptoms were
analyzed as a separate outcome.
RESULTS: The full logistic model included gender, insurance provider, maturity at birth,
and race/ethnicity as covariates. In all comparisons, respiratory and asthma-like
symptoms were less common among those children with an FAS diagnosis compared to
those without an FAS diagnosis. No significant association between the prevalence of
FAS diagnosis and the prevalence of respiratory symptoms (or asthma-related symptoms)
could be detected ( P > 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: The low statistical power, misclassification, and lack of a proper
control group hinder this study's ability to detect a significant association; however those
without an FAS diagnosis may have other conditions that make them more susceptible to
respiratory symptoms. Future studies should explore the use of a large and appropriately
powered cohort or case-control study in order to further examine this possible association
and to help uncover the extensive physiological effects that result from prenatal exposure
to alcohol.

Table of Contents

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction...1
Literature Review...4
Methods...12
Results...19
Discussion...23
Strengths and Weaknesses...30
References...33
Tables...37

About this Master's Thesis

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School	Rollins School of Public Health
Department	Epidemiology
Degree	MPH
Submission	Master's Thesis
Language	English
Research Field	Health Sciences, Public Health
Palabra Clave	infection respiratory system asthma Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
Committee Chair / Thesis Advisor	Drews-Botsch, Carolyn D, Emory University
Committee Members	Fitzpatrick, Anne M, Emory University Coles, Claire, Emory University Gauthier, Theresa, Emory University
Partnering Agencies	Emory University schools, faculty or affiliated programs Community-based non-profit organization (e.g., AID Atlanta)

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