Finland studies biomarkers of the effects of alcohol exposure during pregnancy
In Finland, the University of Helsinki has received funding from the ministry to study the prevalence of prenatal alcohol exposure. Scientists plan to look for its biological markers in anonymous cheek swabs, YLE News reports.
Anonymous participants from the HUS region are planned to be involved in the new study. The aim is to assess the scale of the problem more accurately and help more children receive the support they need.
Estimates of the number of cases
According to estimates, between 600 and 3,000 children with some degree of alcohol-related harm are born in Finland each year. The exact number is unknown, and there are few studies on the prevalence of alcohol consumption during pregnancy, both in Finland and internationally.
Nina Käminen-Ahola, associate professor and head of the University of Helsinki's Environmental Epigenetics Laboratory, noted that FASD often remains an unnoticed developmental disorder. Due to difficulties with learning, memory and attention, children may not receive the support they need at school, while diagnosis is difficult because the symptoms resemble those of other disorders.
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Monitoring children
Käminen-Ahola's group, involving researchers from the University of Helsinki and HUS, monitored the development and school readiness of 80 six-year-old children. Of them, 28 had been exposed to alcohol prenatally. A study published at the end of May reported that 70% of the examined children were diagnosed with FASD.
Children exposed to alcohol prenatally performed worse in tasks involving reasoning, memory and problem-solving. Parents and kindergarten teachers also more frequently reported signs of ADHD and difficulties with social interaction.
Scientists were surprised that children exposed to alcohol before the eighth week of pregnancy had as many nervous system impairments and facial feature abnormalities as those whose exposure lasted longer. The research group has been collecting samples from such children for 13 years.
