Cultural and other aspects of fetal alcohol spectrum disorder prevention and identification in Lithuania
| Date |
|---|
2016-09-17 |
Bibliogr.: p. S711
Introduction: Lithuania is one of the top alcohol consuming countries according to WHO report. In the year 2007 per capita consumption of pure alcohol in Lithuania was 14.3 liters [1]. Unfortunately, women of age 25−34 had the highest levels of problematic alcohol consumption. Meanwhile the Department of Statistics states that most prevalent mother’s age during first delivery was 28. Correlation between alcohol consumption during pregnancy and Fetal alcohol spectrumdisorder (FASD) has been scientifically proven 40 years ago [2]. Nonetheless, identification of this condition and its treatment still remains a challenge to health care system. One of possible reasons why women consume alcohol during pregnancy could be doctor’s obsolete traditions to recommend alcohol for pregnant women as a remedy. Infant morbidity rate of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS, heaviest form of FASD) worldwide varies from 0.1:1000 to 1:1000 newborns [3]. This diversity of statistical data suggests both cultural differences of alcohol consumption and diagnostic challenges of the syndrome. Aims: 1. To investigate family doctors‘ and obstetricians-gynecologists‘ behavior in relation to recommendations of alcohol use during pregnancy. 2. Describe available health statistics on FAS cases in the Hospital of Lithuanian University of Health Sciences (Hospital of LUHS) Neonatology clinic. 3. Compare epidemiological data of FAS (FASD) in Lithuania and other countries. Methods: A pilot questionnaire was given to 74 general practitioners and obstetricians-gynecologists to evaluate attitudes towards alcohol use of pregnant women and to 27 neonatologists to assess frequency of newborns with typical FAS symptoms (not necessarily diagnosing Q86.0) in their clinical practice. Official statistical data was taken from open source European hospital morbidity database of World Health Organization [4] and Department of Statistics to the Government of. [...].