Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Among Grade 1 Schoolchildren in Northern Cape Province: Prevalence and Risk Factors (Original Articles) (Report‪)‬

Fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) was described as an entity in 1973. (1) It is the severe end of a spectrum of deleterious effects caused by prenatal exposure to alcohol, including some or all of the following features: facial dysmorphism, prenatal and/or postnatal growth retardation, and neurological, cognitive and behavioural abnormalities. The term 'fetal alcohol spectrum disorder' describes the effects that can occur in an individual who is prenatally exposed to alcohol, encompassing FAS, partial FAS (PFAS) and other adverse outcomes. (2) Our study focuses on FAS and PFAS because dysmorphic features make them more specific and recognisable diagnoses. FAS/PFAS is among the most common causes of learning disability worldwide, but especially high rates have been described in parts of South Africa. Whereas the average prevalence of FAS in high-income countries has been estimated at 0.97/1 000, (3) rates reported from Wellington, Western Cape Province, have ranged between 40.5 and 54 per 1 000. (4,5)