Babies born to alcoholic mothers may suffer permanent nerve damage.

2004 APR 1 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- Newborns whose mothers drank alcohol heavily during pregnancy had damage to the nerves in the arms and legs, according to a study by researchers at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), one of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers at the University of Chile.

The nerve damage was still present when the children were re-examined at 1 year of age.

The study is the first to examine whether exposure to alcohol before birth affects the developing peripheral nervous system - the nerves in the arms and legs, rather than in the brain or spinal cord. The study appears in the March 2004 issue of the Journal of Pediatrics.

"Infants born to mothers who drink heavily during pregnancy are known to be at risk for mental retardation and birth defects, said Duane Alexander, MD, director of the NICHD. "This is the first study to show that these infants may suffer peripheral nerve damage as well."

Adults who drink excessive amounts of alcohol can experience peripheral neuropathy, a condition that occurs when nerves involved in communication between the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and the rest of the body are damaged. This can lead to tingling sensations, numbness, pain or weakness.

The NICHD-University of Chile Alcohol and Pregnancy Study compared 17 full-term, newborn infants whose mothers drank heavily during pregnancy to 13 newborns not exposed to alcohol in the womb. "Heavy drinking" is defined as having four standard drinks per day (one standard drink is equivalent to one can of beer, one glass of wine or one mixed drink). All women identified as heavy drinkers were advised that their drinking habits were potentially dangerous ...