Fetal Alcohol Syndrome – recurrence in two generations of a family <b>[Abstract in English]</b>

Abstract

Aims: To report a case of recurrence of fetal alcohol syndrome in two generations of a brazilian family. Case description: A 24-year old female, daughter of an alcohol addicted woman, was adopted during neonatal period, and had fetal alcohol syndrome diagnosis confirmed. She started alcohol consumption during her adolescence and had alcohol exposure during her first and second pregnancies, with both newborns showing signs of fetal alcohol syndrome at birth. In her third pregnancy, there was no alcohol exposure and she gave birth to a non-affected daughter. All affected patients fulfill the diagnosis criteria: alcohol pre-natal exposure, cranio-facial dysmorphism, growth retardation (short stature) and central nervous system involvement. Conclusions: Although the recurrence in fetal alcohol syndrome is quite common among siblings and has been well documented in literature, the recurrence in relatives from different generations, such as mother-child occurrence, is rare. Given that this is a preventable syndrome, it is important to implement an interdisciplinary approach, not only for groups with risk factors, but educating women in general about the deleterious effects of alcohol ingestion during pregnancy.